Tom Bray is the managing
editor of the Visalia (Calif.) Times-Delta.
Since this was published, Bray has become managing editor
of The Sun in San Bernardino, Calif.
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— Do the Big
Stories Quickly
Large newspapers go to focus groups. And they go to their market research.
Television stations go to their ratings books. And they go to their marketing
consultants.
Small newspapers go fast.
Sure, small newspapers use research and talk to their readers. But because
our markets are smaller, our readership areas are generally more focused.
And we can understand them more swiftly.
So when the opportunity to serve our readers arises, we can go fast.
At our 23,000-circulation newspaper in Central California, the Times-Delta
in Visalia we have chances to go fast all the time. And knowing our readers
well helps us to know when to give extra effort to a special section or
breaking-news effort.
Some recent examples:
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When a local girl was kidnapped and murdered, the Times-Delta responded
by producing a guide which gave parents advice on how to tell their children
about the tragedy — and how to keep their kids safer without scaring them
to death. The section included translations into Spanish and two Laotian
dialects. And because we know our English-language newspaper simply doesn’t
make it into homes in non-English-speaking neighborhoods, local police
helped by distributing the section to the homes of recent immigrants.
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A series of huge brush fires cut off our hillside communities from the
rest of the region. Our coverage offered dramatic images — plus coping
information for people who lived near the fires.
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A recent special section painted compelling portraits of local folks involved
in the ag industry — from executives to the man who trims the cows’ hooves
to a cow herself.
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When GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole came to Visalia, we had an extra
edition on the streets a mere three hours after the event. We also had
readers lined up in our lobby before the press run started.
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When officials at Sequoia National Park became alarmed at the threat increasing
visitor traffic posed to the giant Sequoia trees, we published a special
section detailing the threat — and explaining plans to close and move major
tourist attractions.
These efforts meant that our staff, composed largely of journalists in
their first or second job in the industry, got to play major roles in sections
of more urgency and sophistication than they’d expected. Chances are, they
wouldn’t have had the chance at larger publications or at TV stations.
That means our staff has to learn quickly. And work hard. And go fast.
And we like it that way.
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