Highland County Press relocates to South High Street
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
All right, then. This is it. The Highland County Press, after more than a dozen years on Main Street, is relocating to 128 South High Street in Hillsboro’s historic uptown business district.
As I told Highland County Chamber of Commerce President Katy Farber last week, we realize that not everyone cares about this move.
For the most part, our loyal readers and advertisers want three things from us:
• A quality newspaper;
• Outstanding service; and,
• A fair price.
We are confident in our ability to deliver on all three of these crucial variables (in any successful business).
The location from which we live up to our end of the bargain isn’t all that important – as long as you can find us, of course!
Again, as of Monday, Oct. 17 (Happy Birthday, Pam) The Highland County Press will be operating from our new offices at 128 South High Street. Pasquale’s Pizza can anticipate an immediate increase in sales!
It’s taken considerable effort from many people to complete this move. We’ll mention a few of them in a moment. But first, let us mention the founder of The Highland County Press, Mr. William Latham.
Bill Latham is an institution in the realm of Ohio newspapers. He has been a newspaper owner and publisher for more than 40 years. He’s worked for one the greatest magazines known to print, National Geographic. And he is among the honored First Families in Ohio Newspapers.
Without Bill Latham’s vision for a locally owned newspaper in Highland County – as an alternative to the now Philadelphia-owned chain of papers –
local readers and advertisers would be subjected to what a few have called the former “monopoly” of papers.
Mr. Latham and I met for the first time in late-summer 2009. We met on High Street in Hillsboro (thus, The HCP relocation to High Street seems rather appropriate). One of the first questions Mr. Latham asked me was this: Are you sure you know what you’re getting into?
He also asked if I could withstand the inevitable onslaught from a corporate conglomerate that would be hell-bent on eliminating the competition. He was, without a doubt, genuinely concerned for my family’s welfare as it related to this business transaction.
The mere fact that Mr. Latham asked these questions prior to our acquisition of The Highland County Press told me an awful lot about this man. Our mutual friend, former Southern State Community College Board of Trustee member Dr. Ben Houser, told me all I needed to know about Bill Latham.
Mr. Latham is what I like to call a newspaperman. It’s an old-fashioned term in today’s world of online media. But I believe it applies to Bill Latham and I’d like to hope that it applies to the current owner of The Highland County Press. (We’ll leave that for you to decide.)
Let’s just say that there’s a good reason that, upon our first publication of the new HCP, we published Mr. Latham’s name on our “call box” on Page 4. He’s earned it.
The next person I must acknowledge is former HCP columnist Bill Horne. Bill encouraged not only myself, but the entire HCP staff. He was our constant supporter, both internally and within the Highland County community. Bill was loyal, honest and never held back on his opinions!
Our decision in February 2010 to become a paid newspaper – at the most reasonable sum of $10 a year – came about because of two people: Bill Horne and Louise Hapner.
It was totally unexpected that these two HCP readers purchased the first annual subscriptions from the new HCP owners. If my memory is accurate, each of them purchased multiple subscriptions. And so it began…
(And, yes, I still miss Bill Horne.)
After Mr. Latham and I agreed to terms more than two years ago, Mr. Tony Adams and Ms. Angie Allen, along with the former HCP staff, were most professional in ensuring a smooth transition. In fact, the staffs of The Clermont Sun and The Brown County Press have been tremendous to work with.
From Tony, Angie, Ginny, Ruby (Ruby is the greatest, by the way), Bruce, Frances, René, Jamie and Emily, and so many others I’m forgetting to mention, all I can say is thank you. We do appreciate your support. If I thanked everyone involved with the ongoing production of The Highland County Press, this column would be longer than an Academy Award acceptance speech. Suffice it to say I’m going to miss a few people. For that, I apologize, upfront.
Among those who must be thanked are our loyal contributing columnists: Bob Patton, Jerry Pruitt, Gary Lewis, Jim Surber, Sabrina Fawley, Eric Deters and Christine Tailer.
Also, those who bring the HCP to you each week, our motor route team: Debbie, Candace, David, David, Janet, Sharon, Ray and Colin.
On the financial side, while we appreciate each and every one of our loyal advertisers, there must be a special recognition for the Highland County Board of Realtors and its membership. The local Realtors and auctioneers have been faithful to the relatively new HCP ownership, and we appreciate it. We appreciate your support so much, in fact, that we have not had an increase in advertising rates in 2009, 2010 or 2011. We have no plans to increase our rates in 2012, either.
(It’s really hard to believe that in another 2 1/2 months we will begin our fourth calendar year.)
A few weeks ago, a member of the Board of Realtors called me and asked about our projected rates for next year. I told him there are no anticipated changes. His advice was to the contrary, suggesting it’s been three years and a small increase is understandable.
While I appreciated his faith in us, my response was this: We will do our best to keep our prices at a very reasonable rate. Call it “Loyal to Loyalty.”
Now, as to the physical relocation of The Highland County Press, three people have worked very hard to make this all come about: Jim Matticks, Rosemary Ryan and Kathleen Fuller. Mel and Bonnie Nicholas of Wilmington also deserve our heartfelt appreciation. I'm sure they had better things to do this weekend than carry office furniture. Thanks, Mel.
In my own defense, I had offered to assist a time or to with this relocation, but I had been barred from the new office until its official grand opening on Oct. 17. (Apparently, they all know that if it doesn’t involve digging a ditch or breaking an anvil, the technical work is beyond my personal limitations.) Like my old man used to tell me, “Rory, you could screw up an anvil.”
The last time I published that quotation, Jenny Behymer walked into my office and handed an anvil to me. Thanks, Jenny. This is one newspaper on which you’ll never have to file a complaint with the Hillsboro Police Department.
A few other acknowledgments include:
• Pastor Shane Montgomery has been too supportive for words. One of my literary heroes is Dismas Hardy, named after “The Good Thief” on Calvary. Pastor Shane has never judged my personal or professional shortcomings. He’s a good friend and I appreciate his support.
• Phil Roberts and Clarence Graham. I learned the business from these gentlemen, who were giants in the Ohio newspaper profession. Thanks, Phil. Thanks, Clarence.
• The HCP Team. I like to call The HCP Team “The Magnificent Seven.”
They are, in no particular order: Lisa Wharton, Caitlin Ryan, Stephen Forsha, Brandy Chandler, Rosemary Ryan, Angie Matticks and this guy. Trust me, our respective families have contributed to this local newspaper adventure, as well. They’ve lived with our “ups and downs,” too.
• Most importantly, the success or failure (“failure” is not an option!) of Highland County’s only independent, locally owned and locally operated newspaper rests with you: Our readers and advertisers.
Thanks for reading. And thanks for putting up with my occasional, misguided opinions. As Judge Kevin Greer seems to enjoy telling me: “You’re often wrong, but never in doubt.”
Rory Ryan is publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
As I told Highland County Chamber of Commerce President Katy Farber last week, we realize that not everyone cares about this move.
For the most part, our loyal readers and advertisers want three things from us:
• A quality newspaper;
• Outstanding service; and,
• A fair price.
We are confident in our ability to deliver on all three of these crucial variables (in any successful business).
The location from which we live up to our end of the bargain isn’t all that important – as long as you can find us, of course!
Again, as of Monday, Oct. 17 (Happy Birthday, Pam) The Highland County Press will be operating from our new offices at 128 South High Street. Pasquale’s Pizza can anticipate an immediate increase in sales!
It’s taken considerable effort from many people to complete this move. We’ll mention a few of them in a moment. But first, let us mention the founder of The Highland County Press, Mr. William Latham.
Bill Latham is an institution in the realm of Ohio newspapers. He has been a newspaper owner and publisher for more than 40 years. He’s worked for one the greatest magazines known to print, National Geographic. And he is among the honored First Families in Ohio Newspapers.
Without Bill Latham’s vision for a locally owned newspaper in Highland County – as an alternative to the now Philadelphia-owned chain of papers –
local readers and advertisers would be subjected to what a few have called the former “monopoly” of papers.
Mr. Latham and I met for the first time in late-summer 2009. We met on High Street in Hillsboro (thus, The HCP relocation to High Street seems rather appropriate). One of the first questions Mr. Latham asked me was this: Are you sure you know what you’re getting into?
He also asked if I could withstand the inevitable onslaught from a corporate conglomerate that would be hell-bent on eliminating the competition. He was, without a doubt, genuinely concerned for my family’s welfare as it related to this business transaction.
The mere fact that Mr. Latham asked these questions prior to our acquisition of The Highland County Press told me an awful lot about this man. Our mutual friend, former Southern State Community College Board of Trustee member Dr. Ben Houser, told me all I needed to know about Bill Latham.
Mr. Latham is what I like to call a newspaperman. It’s an old-fashioned term in today’s world of online media. But I believe it applies to Bill Latham and I’d like to hope that it applies to the current owner of The Highland County Press. (We’ll leave that for you to decide.)
Let’s just say that there’s a good reason that, upon our first publication of the new HCP, we published Mr. Latham’s name on our “call box” on Page 4. He’s earned it.
The next person I must acknowledge is former HCP columnist Bill Horne. Bill encouraged not only myself, but the entire HCP staff. He was our constant supporter, both internally and within the Highland County community. Bill was loyal, honest and never held back on his opinions!
Our decision in February 2010 to become a paid newspaper – at the most reasonable sum of $10 a year – came about because of two people: Bill Horne and Louise Hapner.
It was totally unexpected that these two HCP readers purchased the first annual subscriptions from the new HCP owners. If my memory is accurate, each of them purchased multiple subscriptions. And so it began…
(And, yes, I still miss Bill Horne.)
After Mr. Latham and I agreed to terms more than two years ago, Mr. Tony Adams and Ms. Angie Allen, along with the former HCP staff, were most professional in ensuring a smooth transition. In fact, the staffs of The Clermont Sun and The Brown County Press have been tremendous to work with.
From Tony, Angie, Ginny, Ruby (Ruby is the greatest, by the way), Bruce, Frances, René, Jamie and Emily, and so many others I’m forgetting to mention, all I can say is thank you. We do appreciate your support. If I thanked everyone involved with the ongoing production of The Highland County Press, this column would be longer than an Academy Award acceptance speech. Suffice it to say I’m going to miss a few people. For that, I apologize, upfront.
Among those who must be thanked are our loyal contributing columnists: Bob Patton, Jerry Pruitt, Gary Lewis, Jim Surber, Sabrina Fawley, Eric Deters and Christine Tailer.
Also, those who bring the HCP to you each week, our motor route team: Debbie, Candace, David, David, Janet, Sharon, Ray and Colin.
On the financial side, while we appreciate each and every one of our loyal advertisers, there must be a special recognition for the Highland County Board of Realtors and its membership. The local Realtors and auctioneers have been faithful to the relatively new HCP ownership, and we appreciate it. We appreciate your support so much, in fact, that we have not had an increase in advertising rates in 2009, 2010 or 2011. We have no plans to increase our rates in 2012, either.
(It’s really hard to believe that in another 2 1/2 months we will begin our fourth calendar year.)
A few weeks ago, a member of the Board of Realtors called me and asked about our projected rates for next year. I told him there are no anticipated changes. His advice was to the contrary, suggesting it’s been three years and a small increase is understandable.
While I appreciated his faith in us, my response was this: We will do our best to keep our prices at a very reasonable rate. Call it “Loyal to Loyalty.”
Now, as to the physical relocation of The Highland County Press, three people have worked very hard to make this all come about: Jim Matticks, Rosemary Ryan and Kathleen Fuller. Mel and Bonnie Nicholas of Wilmington also deserve our heartfelt appreciation. I'm sure they had better things to do this weekend than carry office furniture. Thanks, Mel.
In my own defense, I had offered to assist a time or to with this relocation, but I had been barred from the new office until its official grand opening on Oct. 17. (Apparently, they all know that if it doesn’t involve digging a ditch or breaking an anvil, the technical work is beyond my personal limitations.) Like my old man used to tell me, “Rory, you could screw up an anvil.”
The last time I published that quotation, Jenny Behymer walked into my office and handed an anvil to me. Thanks, Jenny. This is one newspaper on which you’ll never have to file a complaint with the Hillsboro Police Department.
A few other acknowledgments include:
• Pastor Shane Montgomery has been too supportive for words. One of my literary heroes is Dismas Hardy, named after “The Good Thief” on Calvary. Pastor Shane has never judged my personal or professional shortcomings. He’s a good friend and I appreciate his support.
• Phil Roberts and Clarence Graham. I learned the business from these gentlemen, who were giants in the Ohio newspaper profession. Thanks, Phil. Thanks, Clarence.
• The HCP Team. I like to call The HCP Team “The Magnificent Seven.”
They are, in no particular order: Lisa Wharton, Caitlin Ryan, Stephen Forsha, Brandy Chandler, Rosemary Ryan, Angie Matticks and this guy. Trust me, our respective families have contributed to this local newspaper adventure, as well. They’ve lived with our “ups and downs,” too.
• Most importantly, the success or failure (“failure” is not an option!) of Highland County’s only independent, locally owned and locally operated newspaper rests with you: Our readers and advertisers.
Thanks for reading. And thanks for putting up with my occasional, misguided opinions. As Judge Kevin Greer seems to enjoy telling me: “You’re often wrong, but never in doubt.”
Rory Ryan is publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]