“Being in the state capital was a big plus, and this very stable employment base here was a big plus,” (new owner Walter Hussman Jr.) explained. “The facilities, particularly the new printing press - which is really state-of-the-art and really terrific - was a major plus.
“(And) the fact that it was a family-owned newspaper and we're a family-owned newspaper and would share a lot of the same kind of values with the people who worked here.”
Neither readers nor employees should expect any immediate or wholesale changes, Hussman said.
“They won't see instant changes. They might see gradual changes, over time, but whatever changes they see will be changes that evolve in working with the news staff and management staff here,” he explained. “I think the niche that newspapers have is to be the most complete, well-written, well-presented source of local information that's available.
“From what I see, the Jefferson City paper is already doing that. As long as they do that, I don't see a great threat to newspapers from other media.”
Hussman believes newspapers can “add value for readers” by providing detailed, informative stories.
His publishing philosophy comes from his father - Walter E. Hussman Sr., who died in 1988 - and is shown at the top of the company history link of WEHCO Media's Web page:
“A newspaper has a number of constituencies. Among those are readers, advertisers, employees, creditors, and stockholders. If a newspaper and its publisher always keep those constituencies in that order: readers first, advertisers second, employees third, creditors fourth, and shareholders last, then the newspaper will do well journalistically and financially, and the interests of all constituencies will be well served."
The News-Tribune's staff includes reporter Michelle Brooks, the former Michelle Dixon of Lockwood, who received her first bylines as a high school reporter for The Carthage Press in the early '90s.
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