Phil Heron — Last of the traditional newspapermen

It’s the end of an era.

Phil Heron, editor-in-chief of the Delaware County Daily Timessince1999 -awhopping two decades at the helm - has retired. All in, his four decades as an in-the-trenches newspaperman - freelancer, reporter, editor and everything in-between-is a legacy of yesteryear. To put that in perspective,the average American will not only hold 10 or 15 jobs, but have multiple careers. Staying power is simply not part of the new economic paradigm.

Making Mr. Heron’s accomplishment allthe-more impressive is that he prospered in perhaps the hardest-hit industry of the internet age.

Just look at the sobering numbers for journalism, according to “The Week:”

-In 1998, the week day circulation

of U.S. newspapers was

62.7 million. Now, the combined digital and print circulation is only 31 million.

- Ad revenue declined from

$48 billion in 2000 to $16.5 billion, an effect of lower print advertising rates; cheaper digital ads; websites such as Craigslist gaining huge market share for classified ads; and Google and Facebook winning over advertisers.

-News rooms employ almost

40 percent fewer staff than in

1994.

-Perhaps most disheartening,“newspaper reporter” was rated “worst job in America” four years in a row.

With stats like that, it’s amazing that any papers survived. But under Phil’s direction, the Delco Times prospered. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t felt the pain - because it has. And it doesn’t mean that being a 24/7 “breaking news” source with limited staff is easy. Quite the opposite: Such a requirement, even though demanded by readers, ranks as one of the biggest no-win pro positions any industry faces. Not only is it an impossible task, but no matter how “on top of things” a paper is, it’s only as good as its most recent post. Five minutes after breaking a monumental story, it’s “What have you done for me lately? What are the real-time high school football scores? What are the latest election results? Did they catch the neighborhood thief? What entertainment is on tap for the weekend? Has the virus peaked?” And of course, “Exactly how much is it going to snow?” Get that last one wrong, and God help you. Makes you wonder why Phil didn’ t retire long ago!

Phil Heron’s managerial style was unique in its dichotomy: Brusque, frenetically paced journo with rolled-up sleeves and pencil on the ear, never resting until the stories were right, and the paper “put to bed” - think Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein in “All The President’s Men.” But also a tech-savvy strategist who understood that rapidly changing times required decisive actions. Phil adapted, and thus successfully navigated the storm, unlike many of his peers who, after waiting too long to change, went down with the ship.

So how did Phil sail straight and true?

Because he was a throwback: hard-nosed and tough, and never afraid to tackle the thorny issues. Yet his methods yielded results because he approached things with logic, compassion, and humor.

First, he had a knack for the best play-on-words headlines of any newspaper - and in today’s face-paced environment, a headline can make or break readership for that edition, and beyond. Second, his “Letters From The Editor” and “Heron’s Nest” columns were informative, and, more important, entertaining, as Phil understood that ad age“it’ s not what you say, but how you say it.” Translation: You can write the most important piece in the world, but if you bore people and they turn away, you failed the reader, the issue and yourself. Third, Phil’s approachable demeanor made people feel that they were genuinely receiving his full attention. As a result, the staff went into battle every day for their leader, exhibiting a loyalty that comes only after being earned.

But above all, Phil was fair. In an age where that concept has become“open to interpretation”- the victim of a brutal ly partisan society where many see only what they want to see, rather than the truth - the Delco Times editor strove to impart fairness into every aspect of the paper: Staff, news coverage, issues, and, especially,to the accused. One such example was when Phil ran a front-page story that charges against a prominent individual had been dropped. He could have buried it on page 35 like so many other papers would have done. But he didn’ t. That move was pure class, but it was also the right thing to do. If an arrest is big enough to warrant the front page, as it was in this case, then an exonerationshould receive equal billing. Justice served.

On a personal level, Phil was always fair to me - and truth be told, took a lot of guff for it. He never spiked a column because he disagreed with its content, nor did he dictate what positions his columnists should take. That drove some on the left crazy, since he was giving a voice to “non-leftists,” such as Christine Flowers, this author, and others. But offering divergent commentary is exactly what an Editor is supposed to do! (And that is why recently-retired columnist Jodine Mayberry will also be sorely missed.)

From a practical standpoint, controversial opinions generate buzz and help sell papers. But the more important reason for providing varied commentary is because it makes people on all sides think - including the writers themselves. It may sound great to have an echo chamber masqueradingas a newspaper, but that’s the road to oblivion. Societiesdon’ t advance when citizens are censored or told what to believe, nor do they prosper when people are “bullied” into believing something - or risk being shamed for their independent thought. Sadly, many colleges have failed in their responsibility to foster that free flow of ideas, as students are increasingly penalized (or fear reprisals) for view points not in line with the professor.

But the Daily Times, true to form as a bastion of The Fourth Estate, has always welcomed dissenting opinions by columnists and guest writers, as well as in Sound Off and article comment sections - the latter two, truth be told, often being read more than the columns themselves, and far more entertaining.

Because of papers like the Daily Times ,( and Times Herald,Mercury and Daily Local ), readers are returning to local, community-based publicationsbecause of their unparalleled insight and commentary on critical issues. In that regard,hall marks of Phil’ s career include covering Boeing Helicopter in Ridley; following the plight of( now-former) refinery workers; playing a watchdogrole during construction of the natural gas pipeline; coveringDel co’ s 49 municipalities and 15 school districts; and investigating scandals at Penn State and Glen Mills, just to name a few.

But perhaps the singlemost important achievement of Phil’s career was leading the charge to save Bonner and Prendie from the chopping block. Back in the era of school closings, virtually everyone thought the schools would merge. But they didn’t. Instead, ina shock that bus ted the Richter scale, the archdioceseclosedboth.It’snothyperbole to say that anger, sadness and utter exasperation permeated every inch of Delaware County at that fateful moment.

Surprised but unfazed, Phil immediately swung into action, mobilizing the paper to make a huge push for appeal. Marshaling forces far exceeding people’s wildest dreams, the Delaware County Daily Times spearheaded the case that these schools were as much a part of Delaware County’s fabric as hoagies, sarcasm, and our inimitable Delco accent. If they closed, Delaware County would forever lose part of its soul, and Catholic education would take a devastating hit.

By now, we all now the storybook ending: The archdiocese, moved by the Herculean effort, reversed its decision. To the victor go the spoils, and there are many: Bonner/ Prendie have rejuvenated “fan bases ,” robust fundraising efforts, enthusiastic studentbodies, and stellar sports teams. But even more i mp actful are the thousands of studentswho are still learning in those hallowed halls, and the countless legacies that remain unbroken, as sons, daughter sand grandchildren-continue to attend these truly special places.

Not many people can say they’ve enhanced people’s lives on a widespread level. But Phil Heron isn’t the average guy. As the heart and soul of the Daily Times, and someone whom readers feel they know intimately, Phil will be sorely missed.

Here’ s wishing him the very best. Cheers, and Godspeed.