Kelly Freudensprung, 61
Publisher, The Saline Courier and Malvern Daily Record Benton and Malvern, Ark. First journalism job: Contract carrier and part-time mailroom worker, The Daily Sentinel, Nacogdoches, Texas
What are some of the most important lessons you have learned while working in the news industry?
Change is constant. Never get comfortable because you must always be ready to do something different. You can cross your fingers and hope that a pandemic won’t affect your revenue model, or you can adjust your expenses quickly and add new promotions that help your readers and your advertisers.
Think out of the box. I believe in trying new things all the time. If you throw an idea out and the advertisers don’t bite on it, stock it away or tweak it and try it later.
Steal ideas. Get involved with your state’s press association and network with other publishers and managers. When a newspaper your size wins advertising or editorial awards, get to know their advertising director and/or editor. Find out what they are doing right and copy them.
Empathize with and show appreciation toward those around you who work so hard. Editors and reporters are on the front lines every day. Journalism has always been a tough, thankless job, but in a world where our communities are being bombarded with messages of “fake news,” it is even tougher. And I’ve always tried to be kind to my sales teams. The good ones, the ones who walk into a dozen or more businesses each
day, are beaten up and worn out. The last thing they need at the end of a day is a tyrant boss who wants to beat on them some more.
Hire good people and get out of their way. What are your predictions for where journalism is heading? I am cautiously optimistic about the future of journalism.
It is sad that most newsrooms have shrunk by 50 percent over the past 15 years, but I firmly believe that people want what community newspapers provide. We’ve seen it here in Arkansas. Over the past few years where newspapers are shut down by hedge fund owners, someone else, usually a member of the community, often steps forward to fill the void.
Will we ever be able to return to the newsroom staffs of the 90s? No. Will we be able to maintain the news staffs we have today? I think so. Because, at least from what I see, the journalists who remain are tough, solid reporters and editors who care about their communities and love their jobs.