Vogt’s Notes: In the newspaper industry, change is constant

Are you wondering why your local election results aren’t on page 1 of this week’s Echo Journal print edition?

Rest assured, they’ll be in your Nov. 16 print newspaper.

Just know that edition will not arrive as usual in your newspaper box Wednesday morning, Nov. 16. Rather, your newspaper will arrive with your mail starting that day and going forward.

After working for 35 years in this industry, I can say with certainty that it’s never boring in the newspaper business. Just when you settle into a routine, something changes to keep you on your toes.

First things first. If you haven’t already, please go online to www.pineandlakes.com to find out who won seats in the Nov. 8 general election. We worked hard that night with a goal of providing a comprehensive listing on our website of vote totals for our area city councils and school boards, county sheriffs and commissioners and local legislative races.

Then we planned to publish stories online of key races, like the Pequot Lakes School Board race that featured nine candidates for three seats, and the Pine River-Backus School Board race offering three candidates for four seats.

Who won that fourth seat?

Find out at www.pineandlakes.com , where you’ll also learn who won the Crosslake and Jenkins mayor and council races, and the Nisswa, Breezy Point and Backus city council seats.

Who is your county sheriff? Your county commissioner? Who are your state Senate and House representatives starting in 2023?

Visit our website to find out.

(Please know this column was written and published in print before the polls closed and before any election results started coming in. My fingers are crossed that we did, indeed, get the results we sought to publish on our website.)

In the past, we were able to have a later press time to share local results in the election week print edition. That is no longer possible, which brings me to our next big change.

After many, many years, this is the last week we’ll have drivers deliver your weekly newspaper and Echoland-Piper Shopper, as well as the Brainerd Dispatch, to your newspaper box in the middle of the night.

Starting Nov. 16, our print newspaper products will arrive in the mail. So you’ll likely get them much later in the day than you are used to.

The top of the front pages of these products will look a tad different to accommodate the necessary mailing label. We likely will have to move up deadlines for people to get their news items and advertising needs to us.

All these changes are necessary during a turbulent economic time for newspapers.

What hasn’t changed in my many years in this business is our passion to bring you quality, relevant news and advertising in our products - whether in print or on our websites.

Thanks for sticking with us and for supporting our work. We appreciate our readers!

Nancy Vogt, editor, may be reached at 218-855-5877 or nancy.vogt@pineandlakes.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Nancy.