It was a mid-August day when I got the mail.
The mail included the weekly Herbert Herald newspaper. A large headline on the front page shouted: Important announcement on Page Three.
I wondered what it was, turned to the page and discovered the Herald had just published its last edition after 113 years.
My partner/wife and I were both disappointed when we read the announcement.
The owners’ reasons for closing said costs have been rising, advertising has declined and businesses use “free’’ Facebook.
We have subscribed to the Herald for years with our first time to read the news from Parkbeg-Mortlach where we have roots. The correspondent did an excellent job informing what was happening in those communities
When she died the new person was less prolific and less frequent, until she quit.
We still took the Herald for coverage of Morse, Chaplin, Central Butte, Riverhurst and Herbert.
Detailed coverage of town council meetings became a must-read that we enjoyed.
Aside from the mundane reports and accounts, the stories described delegations to council and the ensuing discussions.
The council coverage also told of the numerous equipment failures leading us to believe the parsimonious council would be better off buying newer, more expensive equipment.
Regular stories about local health care, community events, libraries and the school division kept the community informed as did the ads to learn what is available.
Some observers might wonder how the Herald was managed. I think it was well managed, with a monthly edition that went to 5,000 homes adding to revenues. Paid circulation has been around 1,700.
Small-town weekly newspapers are having a hard time with the loss of advertising and readers.
Five years ago, the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association website listed 65 newspapers with 500,000 circulation.
The circulation loss included Saskatoon and Regina daily papers closure of weekly publications.
Now the website lists 51 weekly papers and 337,000 circulation.
Closure of the oldest business in Herbert leaves a gap in information sources. Only two small-town newspapers are left in this region — Gravelbourg and Assiniboia.
Loss of the Herald means a significant number of residents have no source of local information. Newspapers form a vital part of the community fabric.
Facebook may become the alternative but large numbers of people do not use the medium, or choose not to expose what they ate for dinner. Some younger people choose other online media.
And Facebook posts aren’t subject to the scrutiny of an editor.
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
