It’s all in-house now

“It just feels more like a newspaper these days,” said a Robertson County News office visitor last week. The visitor had stopped by to renew her subscription and caught us inserting the newspaper with circulars on Thursday morning.

“Is that how you all do it—by hand?” she remarked. I quickly replied, “It is now.” For many years, the Robertson County News relied on inserting machines at our press plant to include those popular circulars in the paper. However, after changing press plants, we now hold a company meeting every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. The purpose of this meeting is to hand-insert the circulars into the paper.

When you touch every copy about to be delivered, it truly feels more like a newspaper. It reminded me of the days we always did this job by hand. Too much automation has taken over many aspects of life. For a few hours each Thursday, I am reminded of the satisfaction of inspecting the papers, affixing the labels, and stuffing all the additional materials. It feels gratifying to prepare our product for the world.

In this digital age—don’t get me wrong, I love the newspaper’s website and digital copy—it’s also nice to slow down for a moment and physically engage with the newspaper. Since 1690, newspapers have been a part of America, shaping the country for centuries. In all fairness, the Robertson County News (formerly the Hearne Democrat) has been around for about 140 years, but what a rich history it has!

While scanning social media, I came across the Robertson County Youth Fair Association’s profile page. As I was working on the first of two fair sections, I needed to verify a few names of the Queen contestants. I found a post with old newspaper clippings, and among the photos was one from the Hearne Democrat dating back to 1974. That photo is now 51 years old—how did they even find that?

This is the difference between a newspaper and a website: what on a website is 50 years old? Nothing—and there never will be. There’s nothing to look up, research, or remember; it’s just here today and gone tomorrow, which is a shame.

I felt the same way when I read Margaret Salvaggio’s “50 Years Ago” column. I am genuinely grateful for its return to this newspaper. I read it every week and enjoy the flashback photo as well. Your town’s history is captured in these pages each week, so take a moment to read it. And if you don’t have time, that’s okay—because it will still be here next week for you to catch up with your friends and neighbors.

Some people know this about me, while others do not, but I collect old newspapers—originals, not reprints—documenting some of the most significant events in world history. My collection includes editions from various cities on 9/11/01, such as New York, New Jersey, and Atlanta. I also have the original Houston Post from the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination, which was gifted to me by County Commissioner Donald Threadgill. Additionally, I have a newspaper reporting on Pearl Harbor from Hawaii. While I have many others, I am constantly looking for rare copies, such as those covering D-Day from France; I currently have three American papers from that event.

Many of you have heard me say, “This is your newspaper.” So, I want to share a recent phone call we received at the office: “My child participated in the Houston Livestock Show. Will the newspaper print that? How do I send it to you?” Yes, we want to hear your stories! All you have to do is email me at dennis@robconews.com. This is your newspaper—contribute to it, and it will also become a part of your history.