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i ---- ara ts. - ana a 4 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, October 17, 2000 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" EDWARD MUNDY Started Port Perry's newspaper in 1866 By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star ORT PERRY Star general manager Peer MacLeod has assumed owner- ship of the newspaper, completing the purchase of the company from publish- er]. Peter Hvidsten. Sunday, Oct. 15 marked the completion date for the purchase, a transaction that was begun when the two men formed a partner- ship in 1995. As owner, Mr. MacLeod will continue in his role as general manager of the 134-year- old Port Perry Star, overseeing the day-to- day operations of the paper and its various departments. Mr. Hvidsten will remain with the paper as publisher, the post he's held since assuming ownership of The Star from his father Per in 1976. The transition ensures The Star's contin- ued operation as an independently-owned newspaper; it's one of the few papers in this part of the province that is not part of a group publishing syndicate. That's impor- tant to Mr. Hvidsten, whose family has owned and operated the paper since 1963. "It's always been important to me to see The Star continue as an independent for as long as possible," said Mr. Hvidsten. "As far back as I can remember I've always thought that when this day comes, it would be my preference to see it continue as an indepen- dent paper." A veteran of the community news indus- try, Mr. Hvidsten has seen numerous changes over the years. Those changes have been both technological and economic: while computers have brought about revolu- tionary change in the way we bring our prod- uct to you each week, the structure of the industry has shifted from private, often fam- ily-owned small businesses to group and corporate ownership, with large publishing companies swallowing up the independents and either shutting them down, or adapting them to fit their mould. R. HVIDSTEN comes from a IM zevspipe family. 'His grandpar- ents were owners of a daily news- paper in Sarpsborg, Norway. Upon arriving in Canada after World War II, Per Hvidsten bought a print shop in North Bay, but when he heard from a salesman that the paper in Uxbridge, Ontario was for sale, he made an offer. In January of 1953 the Hvidsten family assumed ownership of the Uxbridge Times- Journal, and moved to that town. Peter Hvidsten has fond memories of growing up, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the family business. In addition to publishing the weekly newspaper, the company hired out its presses for commer- cial printing jobs. In the not-so distant past, community newspapers made a substantial portion of their revenue in that way. "We lived above the newspaper office in Uxbridge," Mr. Hvidsten recalled. "The print shop was below, and our apartment was above." He remembers lying in his bed at night as a boy, feeling the vibration of the mighty presses below. The presses, their thunder- ous roar and the accompanying smell of ink, and raw newsprint, echo deeply for news- men. Even in an age of computers, the Change of ownership for Port Perry Star atmosphere and romance of the pressroom resonates. Mr. Hvidsten became involved in the family business in his teens, helping out around the print shop and also delving into photography. He left the area to experience a few years of city life in Toronto after high school, but was lured back by his father, who had embarked on a new venture with the purchase of The Port Perry Star, in September of 1963. It was a time of change, during which the paper was switching from the cumbersome and dated metal typesetting system to off- set presses. The younger Hvidsten found himself learning the news and printing busi- ness from the shop floor. "I think one thing my dad did that was invaluable to me was that he didn't take me under his wing," said Mr. Hvidsten. "He put me under the direction of Bill Harrison, and old- timers like Bruce Beare, Archie Farmer, and Clive Boyd. | learned | the back shop | printing trade | from those guys." Indeed, Mr. */ Hvidsten, who assumed ownership of The Star in 1976, continued to leam by doing in the newspaper indus- try. Not so many years ago he was doing the weekly paste-up of pages on Mondays, and was arriving at dawn the next day to affix address labels as the papers were stuffed with flyers and shipped out to the post office. And until a few years ago he was part of the editorial department's weekend rotation, spending Saturday and Sunday travelling the roads of Scugog to collect photos. "I've seen (the industry) evolve through so many changes to get to where we are today," said Mr. Hvidsten. He singled out the advent of desktop computers and pub- lishing software as the most significant developments in the industry; they've elim- inated many time-consuming and tedious aspects of assembling a newspaper, and improved the look of products immensely. "With that came problems too," he said. "It made it very easy for almost anyone to enter the business, and it kind of bas- tardized it." The result has been a supersaturated market. Consider the number of flyers, give- away papers, and shoppers you receive each week. Mr. Hvidsten said that influx of publications has forced paid-circulation papers to focus more and more on the bot- tom line. "It's taken away the ability of small com- munity owned papers to do the job they used to," he said. "It's become so competi- tive that it's hard for the paper to give back to the community in the way it used to." For example, he said, papers can't be as freewheeling in the number of pages they use in any given edition. A formula that takes into consideration an adequate level of advertising revenue must be adhered to, in order to make the product viable. "I've always believed the paper is the community's," sé Mr. Hvidsten. "You want to give as much as you can, but economics mean you can't always do so. We're provid- ing a public service as well as selling a prod- Per Hvidsten Purchased The Star in September 1963 uct. And you depend on ad revenues to do that." S GENERAL MANAGER of The Ase for the past five years, Don acLeod is keenly aware of the role the paper plays in the community, and the importance of its maintaining an inde- pendent, local voice. He's worked in the industry in Ontario since the 1980's, and became acquainted with The Star while serving as ad manager and then publisher at™ the Uxbridge Times-Journal and Stouffville Sun, papers that were then part of the Citizens Communications Group (CCG) chain. They've since been absorbed by media giant Metroland. "I had become familiar with The Star when | was working at the Times-Journal and the Sun as ad manager; | was always jealous of the success of the newspaper, and knew it was well-respected," said Mr. MacLeod. "It had a good reputation in the industry, and locally with the readers." Mr. MacLeod was involved with the cam- pus paper at Brock University, where he studied political science and business man- agement. After graduating he entered the community newspaper industry, selling advertising at the Niagara Advance before moving on to take a position as advertising manager at the Lincoln Post Express in Beamsville. Then came the move to this area, where he began as ad manager at the Times-Journal and Sun, before being pro- moted to publisher for both papers. He eventually assumed responsibility for CCG's papers in Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls as well. Mr. MacLeod's association with The Port Perry Star began in 1994, when CCG was con- tracted by this paper to provide manage- ment services. He liked what he saw. "I'd never worked with a newspaper that had such a loyal following," he said. He cites several factors that contribute to the paper's success: Loyal readership, good relations with the business communi- ty, solid local news coverage, and a staff that's dedicated to putting out a product of which they can be proud. Local ownership was also a factor, he said. "Peter and his father were very involved in the community for many years. They were an integral part of the newspa- per," he said. "Readers still like to put a face to the people who run their local newspaper, and that's getting harder and harder to do." The two men struck a deal: They would share 50-50 ownership of the paper for five years, after which time Mr. MacLeod would assume control. He sees The Star continuing as the lead- ing newspaper in Scugog. That will be accomplished by continuing to focus on the company's strengths, and addressing new opportunities as they arise. The need to diversify to accommodate advertisers' and readers' demands is being felt throughout the community newspaper industry. That's been evident in Port Perry, PETER HVIDSTEN Took over ownership in January 1976 where The Star has. introduced its very sug- DON MacLEOD Takes over ownership of The Star Oct. 15, 2000 cessful Weekend Star edition, and a popu- lar website. The Star also began publishing the Uxbridge Weekend Star in August. In addition, there are numerous special- ty publications, sections and guides pub- lished by The Port Perry Star. "Diversity has been a key part of our success," said Mr. MacLeod. "Being able to delve into niche marketing, seeing an opportunity and diving on it right away. We currently produce close to 50 publications a year outside of the newspaper. "Our customers have demanded it over the years." Readers and clients can also continue to expect a newspaper that responds to their needs and concerns, said Mr. MacLeod. "Another advantage of an independent newspaper is that we are able to react quickly," he said. "If a person has a concern, they don't need to filter through five peo- ple to get to the person in charge." Mr. MacLeod lives in Port Perry with his wife Birgitta, and son Christopher, 3. They're expecting their second child any day. R. HVIDSTEN has mixed emo- Mens about selling The Star. He'll still be involved with the newspaper day to day, and is looking for- ward to being able to take more time off. But after decades of the daily challenges, crises, triumphs and tough decisions that are part of the newspaperman's life, he admits some sadness. > You may not realize it, but producing your community newspaper each week involves a lot of hard work from a lot of dedicated people. The incremental intro- duction of technology has cut down on the hours somewhat, but it's still a stressful, painstaking process. Mr. Hvidsten remembers fondly the days when the paper was put together manually, an involved, sometimes tedious process that took many hours. "It was not unusual for us to be here until one, two in the morning to get the paper finished. And then it had to be at the printer's by seven in the morning," he said. "That's the thing about newspapers. It's a deadline business. Our product couldn't come out a day later, so it was normal. Working long hours like that was normal. "You knew when you came into work on Tuesday that you were there until Wednesday." Along the way there have been many staff members who have stuck with The Star for years, doing their best to produce a paper of which they could be proud. It's that kind of product; employees have a stake in it, because their work is there, on display each week, for the whole communi- ty to see. "I think that's one of the things both my dad and I appreciated: The friendship and work ethic of our employees over the years, and the loyalty they've shown." said Mr Hvidsten. He's also appreciative of his family - wife Nancy, son Matt and daughters Katie and Jamie - who have been patient while work kept him away from home so often.