By Stacy Wiedmaier
Hello Landmark readers, subscribers and newsmakers,
It’s been a bit challenging introducing myself to people in the community these last six weeks as the “new reporter.” That’s certainly what I’ve been doing, but I’ve also been secretly wanting to tell them, “I’m going to be the new owner.” I’ve had to keep that under wraps, so I’m really excited that I can finally share the news.
It’s been a whirlwind for the past few weeks here at the office. My husband Josh and I officially became the new owners Sept. 1. I’ll be managing all aspects of editorial, the website and social media, while Josh will act as the office manager and be focused on legal notices, advertising, page design and subscriptions. He has owned a small business before, but this is a new roller coaster ride for me.
Although I started my career at The Landmark, then relocated to Southern California to be a professional print news reporter and later a local broadcast news producer, I took a foray into nonprofit public relations. I’m thrilled to be reporting again, which is a better fit and my true passion.
Josh is joining me on this adventure. Originally from the Sacramento area, he has an art degree and a background in graphic design. He recently taught seventh grade science at a private middle school for the last five years. The plan had originally been for me to take on the publishing role here while he continued teaching, but a year ago, he decided to join me.
“If this is your dream, then this is my dream too,” he said. “Let’s do it together.” Our tenth wedding anniversary is Sept. 9. I’ll share more about both of us and our backgrounds in this space next week.
We’ve been planning this move “back home” for four years and it’s a bit surreal now that it’s actually happening. I’ve been reading each issue of The Landmark for the last two years from afar, literally taking notes and following the latest developments so that I can hit the ground running.
Thank you to everyone that has texted, called and emailed to congratulate us and welcome us to the community. We’re currently staying with family, but we’ll officially become Platte City residents in a few weeks once our adorable little 1932 rental home is ready.
I especially want to thank Ivan and Linda Foley, as well as Cindy Rinehart. Ivan has been my mentor in the news business since my college days at Park University. It has been an absolute blast working alongside him again. We literally laugh all day long as he tells classic stories about former elected officials’ shenanigans (yes, one did include a former alderman who got caught with his pants down and was wearing a thong) and we joke that Platte County politics is never dull.
We’ve had a million questions, and still do, but Ivan and Cindy remain patient, understanding and always helpful as they train us to take over. Both have continuously answered texts after hours and on weekends. They have been consistently dedicated to helping set us up for success, just as they promised.
Josh and I connected with columnist Chris Kamler and were thrilled to learn that he wants to continue writing for The Landmark each week. We’re happy to have him on board and know that our readers will enjoy his familiar face as well.
Thank you to Guy Speckman, former Ponder the Thought columnist, for all his years writing and entertaining us with his musings. We’ll miss you.
What’s new this issue
You’ll notice several new features in our first issue. I’ve brought back the Police Blotter (which appeared in The Landmark many years ago) because it’s always interesting to learn what local authorities are responding to. The News Briefs section is debuting as well, because many things we come across are newsworthy, but may not have enough information to become a whole story. The “Facebook Comments of the Week” and the Election Countdown are both new as well, just for fun.
We know that not all of you live in Platte City, Parkville, Riverside or Kansas City and we have plans to expand coverage in the future to encompass as many of the 19 Platte County cities and villages that we can. Once we get a handle on the operations side, I’m looking to hire a freelance writer or two, plus an advertising sales representative to expand our staff.
I know that we’re the “new kids on the block” and a change this big can be scary after Ivan has steered this ship so steadily for more than four decades. I’ve received many questions about what we plan to change, if anything. Will ad rates be increasing? Subscription prices going up? Are we planning any other major changes? Not currently. The biggest change I plan to make is redecorating our office space.
I’ll be sharing a link to a reader survey that we have planned in next week’s issue to learn what’s important to you. We aren’t making any rash decisions without gathering all the data we possibly can first. The link will be posted in the print edition and on our Facebook page, where sharing it will enter you into a drawing to win one of two exciting prizes. More details on that soon.
I’m optimistic about the future. I have a lot of ideas for ways we can continue to grow, especially in our coverage, but I also know this newspaper belongs to the community. Our job is to tell local stories you can’t find anywhere else, keep you educated and informed and be an integral part of this county. We want to hear from you about how we can do that better.
Here’s a list of minor changes we’re making and our thought process behind them:
Advertising, legal notices and letter to the editor deadlines are Mondays at noon for the following Wednesday’s print edition. This is for planning and layout purposes. We print the latest edition on Wednesday mornings.
We have a new post office box, number 134. We’re working to get a secure drop box welded to the front of our office for subscribers and advertisers that prefer to drop off their check. You’ll soon be able to do so after hours. We’re looking into ways to modernize payments next year, including taking online payments and possibly through an app like Venmo.
Our walk-in office hours are changing to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. This provides a little breathing room for me to be out in the community reporting and it allows Josh to get caught up on weekly tasks. We’ll continue checking emails and voicemail on Fridays to respond to any urgent needs.
We’re no longer offering multiple-year print subscriptions, just annual renewals. This is because the U.S. Postal Service raises their periodicals rate 10% each year, so we cannot sell subscriptions for the next two to three years without being able to anticipate what it will cost us to mail your paper at that time.
I know change can be hard, but join us in this new adventure.
~Stacy
