By Sherry Larson
People’s Defender
It’s National Newspaper Week, and while newspapers are a fading industry, we’d like to celebrate our little corner of the world. Forbes.com says, “The newspaper industry has been in steady decline triggered by a loss in readership and ad revenue which have been migrating to other media, most notably digital.” This truth is uncomfortable and sad, but the reality is that teams like ours at the West Union People’s Defender are becoming less and less each year.
The People’s Defender started on January 16, 1866, by Joseph W. Eylar in West Union, Ohio. According to Ohiomemory.com, “Readers of the Defender, self-proclaimed as “Adams County’s Best Newspaper,” had access to a variety of content typical of this time period: political news and editorials; court and legal notices; information about agriculture and markets; and advertisements for products, local businesses, and real estate. Geographic coverage not only spanned Adams County but nearby areas of Kentucky as well, with local news and gossip organized by community name.” Some things stay the same as we strive to bring pertinent news to the community each week.
It takes many people to publish a newspaper, even for our small community, but this article focuses on our merry band of five in the West Union newsroom.
Amber Dryden-Grooms started with the Defender seven years ago. She oversees classifieds and circulation and is the friendly face one encounters when entering the Defender office. Amber loves to look back at the Defender archives and delve into our community history. Excitedly, she says, “The People’s Defender has been around since 1866!” Amber never fails to greet with a smile and takes the time to talk with and listen to customers daily. She knows almost everyone and says, “I enjoy meeting new people and building relationships with our customers.” She shares that she loves working with us, and we are thankful for her generous compliments and for making everyone’s day a bit brighter.
Our veteran in the business is Terry Rigdon, who has been with the newspaper since 1973. He’s seen a great deal through the years, and we love hearing his stories. Terry makes us laugh every single day. Between the friendly banter among colleagues and Terry’s dry sense of humor zingers, I always leave the office with a smile. Terry said his favorite part of the job is the people he works with, we think he’s great too.
Mark Carpenter is our Editor/Sports Editor, man behind the camera, and resident sports fanatic (along with Terry). He’s been with the Defender since 2010. We don’t see as much of him since gas prices soared, but he keeps us on our toes via text messaging and e-mail. I appreciate his open-mindedness to my story ideas (even though I’m pretty sure he shakes his head sometimes). One of Mark’s favorite parts of the job is when people out in the community thank him for all he does. He said, “A nice pat on the back certainly helps sometimes.” Consider your back patted, Mark! Mark, an avid sports fan, continues, “Along with the ability to do something I love doing, writing sports, something I’ve done since my Dad started writing Pee Wee basketball reports when I was 10 years old.” Mark also appreciates the people he works with, saying, “We produce an absolutely outstanding product with limited staff and resources.”
Peggy Niswander completes the graphics and advertising and puts the paper together from pagination to ready for production; she came to the newspaper 18 years ago. I value this lady for her patience, kindness, and hard work. She does an excellent job. And like the rest of the gang, she gives me a giggle. Peggy describes her co-workers’ past and present, “They have become extended family. I have been truly blessed.” And the banter I mentioned – a couple of days ago, when Terry complained about the weather (he likes to golf), Peggy told him, “You’ve got to be the sunshine, Terry.”
I’m the new kid with less than a year under my belt. These people graciously welcomed me to my new role. I continue to achieve my wish to share my love of writing and become acquainted with Adams Countians. We may be a dying breed, especially the small operations like those of us here at the Defender, but we are a team, and I’m happy to say I’m a part.