Full-tilt, this has been a crazy week for the newspaper and Robco

It has been an amazing week at the newspaper, let me tell you. When I returned motivated and energized, I had no idea the void that needed filling. It feels as vast as the Mariana Trench, but in a good way. I wanted to come back with all these new ideas as well as re-imagine the old ones, but as it was gently put to me this week, my staff is tired.

They can just find happiness in the same britches they got tired in because there is no way I’m letting up.

I must say, the team that remained behind to tend to things while I was away did a great job. However, I returned with a new attitude that reflects the feeling of “you ain’t seen nothing yet.” I feel like I’ve been keeping my foot on the pedal for the last two and a half months.

We have initiated a new daily newsletter, launched a new monthly publication, redesigned the newspaper, and developed a new shared news coverage distribution plan. The list of internal changes goes on and on.

I recently brought on Ruth Creason as our writer to cover everything related to Franklin and some topics in Calvert, and she has quickly proven to be the right choice. Brittany Lowe is still hard at work in Bremond, covering some aspects of Calvert. Veronica is reaching out to nearly every business for community projects, while Roy is managing Hearne and contributing to various elements of the base paper. As for me, I’m pushing everyone to stay focused and achieve our goals.

You should have noticed a difference last week. It has taken a lot of work but I feel that all cities are now equally represented within the pages of the Robertson County News. That does not mean everyone has 4 stories, it means that all the news that needs to be reported for each city, each week is getting done.

But we still need you, the reader to keep sending in those meetings times, event dates and alerting us to what is going on. We do know a lot of that information, but we prefer not to have anything slip through the cracks.

We have seen a major increase in print and digital subscriptions, and the new magazine has grown from zero subscribers to well over 2,300 now. That makes me very happy, especially considering the subject matter is solely “back the blue.” It is wonderful to know I live in a community that supports law enforcement, as I always have.

From the community perspective, we have added community-focused products, similar to the “Little Dribblers” section featured in this paper. I’m not sure why I didn’t implement this sooner; it will undoubtedly be a valuable resource for everyone attending the games. The best part is that, with over 9,000 visitors to Robertson County this week, our newspaper’s advertising will introduce them to our fantastic businesses, restaurants, services, and much more.

It feels like “we’re back, baby!”

This new attitude and drive are here to stay. As we move from April to May, the community projects continue with the return of the reimagined Hearne Fishing Derby, which I will write up for the next issue. As hard as it is to imagine, Graduation 2025 will be here before we know it.

Next up is the Robertson County Reader’s Choice Awards, and I can promise that it’s going to be huge.

I am getting closer to my true goal, which I may have mentioned in previous columns: the return of the Franklin Advocate in print.

The Advocate will be re-imagined but will retain some of its original features. For instance, there will be a section dedicated to news from Bremond and Franklin, and you’ll find updates from the county, as well as news from Hearne and Calvert, in the Robertson County News. This would mark a return to the pre-COVID-19 days, and it would be nice to get the local paper back to where it belongs.

I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to my staff for their hard work and to our readers for their unwavering support.

It would be impossible to do this job without the people that support the newspaper and the people that work at this newspaper.

We are back, and we are excited about the future of Robertson County News. Thank you for not giving up on us or your newspaper. A newspaper is a vital part of any community and we are happy to be here.