Thank you, readers, advertisers for 25 years of The HCP

By Rory Ryan
The Highland County Press

Well, a music business man with a music business smile,
Said the songs I write were old and out of style,
But I’ve been boppin’ these blues for over 40 years,
Hell, I don’t know where he is now, but we’re still here.
        – Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore – “We’re Still Here”

Fifteen years ago this month – in late August 2009 – it was announced that the newly formed Cameco Communications, LLC had acquired The Highland County Press from William Latham and the Sun Publishing Group. My wife, Pam, named the company “Cameco” from the first two letters of our children’s Irish names, Caitlin, Meghan and Colin.
        
Mr. Latham founded The Highland County Press 25 years ago as an all-local community newspaper. For the past 15 years, we’ve done our level best to build on and expand that tradition – despite a few early unforeseen obstacles tossed in our path. I’ve been in this business of putting ink on dead trees for over 40 years now. Actually, 45 consecutive years. I don’t know where a few others are, but we’re still here. 

The late Bill Latham was among the recipients of the First Families of Ohio Newspapers Award. He was well-respected in the newspaper industry for decades. Bill also had genuine concern for my business plan 15 years ago – and my relatively limited financial situation. He really cared about what I was wading into. I’ll never forget that. I’ll also never forget the sacrifices that my family and our staff have made in order for us to do what we do. We have had a few ups and downs through the years. But we’re still here.
        
What has transpired during the last 15 years in the newspaper business across the country has been mostly negative. Many newspapers have gone out of business. Many have had multiple changes in ownership, mostly sales from one large corporate media or capital management company to another one.
        
The U.S. newspaper industry goes back to the 1600s. Its heyday predated radio and certainly predated television, the internet and all other forms of digital media. In the social media age, I’ve often used the phrase that I’m the last man in town to know about a breaking news story. I’m also the last man to get it wrong. (OK. That’s not true; as Judge KLG once told me, “Rory, you are often wrong, but never in doubt.”)
        
Our newspaper strives for two things: Accuracy and fairness. Do we always get it 100 percent? Nope. One of our late columnists wrote about the passing of a Danville area farmer who was still very much alive. Fortunately, that farmer took the story in good stride and requested additional copies of The HCP. Stuff happens.
        
Looking back on my 45 years in this business, I can say without a doubt the most-recent 15 years have been the most enjoyable and rewarding. Certainly not in a monetary sense, as we’ve endured the recession in 2009, the COVID-19 pandemic and the current mess called Bidenomics.
        
In the past 15 years, I’ve given up daily staff meetings (they used to call them “budget meetings” or just “budgets”), weekly reports, monthly reports, quarterly reports, annual budgets and various and sundry board meetings. The main reason? Our people. I have been blessed to work with a great group of people. I trust them to do what they are supposed to do. 
        
The New York Yankees baseball team had a famous “core four” in players Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. Each member of the Core Four was a key contributor to the Yankees’ late-1990s and early 2000s dynasty that won four World Series championships in five years. 
        
The HCP, since 2009, has had (for another sports reference) a Fab Five, and we have stayed together for 15 years. They know who they are. They do not need nor want to be named in my column. (For the record, I am not one of our Fab Five, I’m more like the weakest link.)
        
You can find their names on this page every week. And I’ll add the best circulation person I’ve ever worked with to that list: Debra Morris, who is the only person to be with The Highland County Press for all of its 25 years. Thank you, Debbie.
        
I am reminded of a phrase in Latin used by the late, great William F. Buckley: Si unum nominas, omnia nominas. If you name one, name everyone. Obviously, I won’t name everyone, but without our great team, there would not be a locally owned and operated newspaper in Highland County. I hope our current – and former – coworkers know how much I appreciate all of them.
       
As a business owner, I have been blessed that our coworkers – and my family – have been very loyal. 
        
In addition to our current great team, we lost two wonderful people to retirement and another editor who went to law school. I guess journalism was not far enough to the dark side for her. No disrespect to lawyers. Some of my wife’s best friends are lawyers.
        
Without question, we have had others who were major contributors to our operation – and several who still are. I can’t thank them enough. This month, The Highland County Press has the dual celebration of its 25th year in Highland County and its 15-year anniversary with the current team. On the occasion of our one-year anniversary in 2010, my good friend and former co-worker Gita Balakrishnan wrote (as a favor to me) a column about The HCP. She interviewed several people, including the late Southern State Community College professor and HCP columnist Bill Horne.
        
“Congratulations, on your first anniversary,” Bill said. “It has been a pleasure to stop by each week and watch your team work to make this endeavor a success. Everyone working together, doing multiple jobs and just making it happen. You are producing an excellent local paper with a staff that is second to none. It is an honor for me to be a very small part of this exciting venture. May the success that you have earned this first year continue for years to come.”
        
We lost Bill in December 2010 not long after his interview with Gita. It was, to be sure, our most challenging deadline. Bill remains the only person to have had this trifecta in The Highland County Press: His death was a Page 1 lead story, he had the lead column on the Opinion Page, and the lead obituary. He probably planned it that way just to aggravate me. It’s hard to believe that was 14 years ago. 
        
Bill was instrumental in my acquiring The Highland County Press in the summer of 2009. His encouragement and advice were a great influence on my decision to take what he called “a leap of faith.” Thanks, my friend.
        
As an independent media company, we have had to multi-task, as Bill said. We must stand and deliver, mostly on our own skills; but there have been days when a few others from outside the business have really saved our bacon – when our goose was cooked. (I love mixed metaphors.)
        
Ten years ago, during the Christmas holiday season, was one such day. I arrived at the newspaper office on a Sunday morning (no doubt tuned in to WLRU 106.9 FM, which had just started its broadcasts) to find that our Linksys ethernet hub was fried – most likely during a Friday power outage two days earlier. Finding a 16-port local area network hub in Hillsboro on a Sunday morning is the ultimate scavenger hunt – or close to it.
        
In other words, similar to Johnny Cash, I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt. The only two local stores that were open on Sunday that came to mind were Radio Shack and Walmart. The gentleman at the former suggested I call the latter – and vice versa.
        
Meanwhile, I was emailing anyone and everyone who may have had a Linksys ethernet hub. I contacted the Highland County commissioners and then-Auditor Bill Fawley. They were quick to respond, for which I thanked them, but still no luck.
        
In between communications with the county officials, I’d also contacted Terry Mikkelsen, a local IT professional. In addition, I called, emailed or faxed Staples, Best Buy, Micro Center, and Computer Hubs R Us (OK, I made up that last one) and anyone else who might have a multi-port hub. Then, for some reason, I called my friend Pat Hays, the general manager of WVNU Radio.
       
“Good morning, Rory,” Pat said upon answering my call.
        
“Who takes care of your IT issues?” I asked, and explained my dilemma about a dead hub.
        
“You mean a switch?” Pat asked.
        
I thought we might be entering into some sort of “Sling Blade” conversation; i.e., “Some folks call it a Sling Blade, I call it a Kaiser blade.”
        
Switch. Hub. Any port in a storm, I thought.
        
Then, Pat said three magic words. “I have one.”
        
Sure enough, while our old Linksys hub is called a hub, the Netgear switch is called a switch. 
        
Regardless, after a quick trip to Greenfield, when I pulled all the ethernet cables from the old hub and inserted them into the new switch, we were back in business.
        
With an early press time due to New Year’s Day, Pat’s generosity was and is appreciated more than words can say. Thank you, Pat. 
        
More recently, Chad Shelton of the Maysville Ledger-Independent saved us when he installed a new power source in our computer that serves as our file server. The odd thing about that is the replacement server was removed from an old Mac station that I’d been meaning to discard since 2009, but hadn’t gotten around to it. The computer didn’t work for other issues, but its power source was fine. Chad made the installation in just a few minutes. Thanks, Chad.
        
(By the way, Chad blames me for getting him started in the newspaper business. I hired him at The People’s Defender in West Union a quarter of a century ago.)
        
Lastly, and most importantly, we owe our most sincere thanks to you – everyone who reads our newspaper and our website. Without our readers and advertisers, we could not possibly provide this essential community service. 
        
We greatly appreciate your continued support. It has not always been a smooth and easy ride, but we’re still here.
        
Lord willing, and the creeks don’t rise, we’ll keep doing what we do. Here’s to another 15 years – or more.
        
Thanks, everyone.
        
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.