LAURINBURG — As a third-generation journalist, Brian Bloom grew up around newspapers and now he’s making it his mission to fix them.
Bloom, regional publisher for The Laurinburg Exchange, the Richmond County Daily Journal and The Anson Record, spoke to the Optimist Club of Laurinburg on Thursday, talking about the local paper.
“Through our pages, we strive to tell your stories while acting as both a watchdog and a cheerleader,” Bloom said. “After a series of local owners that made your paper proud, the paper was purchased by Heartland Publications in September of 2006. Six years later, Venture Capital Versa Capital Management merged Heartland with two other newspaper chains to form Civitas Media — and from there, your paper was doomed.”
Bloom explained that the paper was owned back to back by two of the worst newspaper companies in America, and the challenge today is how to rebuild the paper. In 2017, Scott Champion and Champion Media bought the paper and, unlike the two companies before, he invests into the papers.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t get asked, ‘it must be difficult running a newspaper these days with the Internet and all,’” Bloom said. “My father was probably asked, ‘it must be difficult running a newspaper these days with television and all.’ My grandfather was probably asked, ‘it must be difficult running a newspaper these days, what with radio.’ And to that, I answer it is difficult running any business today with the myriad of marketing solutions, the shrinking impact of any one media.”
He also said there is no such thing as good news or bad news, which many people tend to get hung up on — there is only news.
“I know that, today more than ever, we need a free press willing to ask the difficult questions and demand the truthful answer,” Bloom said. “We act as a watchdog and we fight for your right to know how your children are being educated, how your tax dollars are being spent, all while telling you your neighborhood in which you reside in is safe.
“They just released a study the other day that in communities that lost their community paper, tax rates went up 17% because nobody was there to pay attention,” he added.
While he’s working on improving The Exchange, Bloom admitted that it will never be as great as it once was, but is trying to make the paper what the community wants it to be. He encouraged everyone to be part of the solution by subscribing, run advertisements and telling what is going on, rather than complaining afterward that the paper wasn’t there … when no one knew.
“Some seemingly brag that they no longer subscribe to their hometown newspaper, as if ignorance of the issues that affect their lives is a badge of honor,” Bloom said. “They complain about the papers dwindling resources and believe somehow their lack of support will force improvement. I can tell you this: Failing to invest in your community leads to the demise of that community.”
Reach Katelin Gandee at kgandee@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
