Grasslands News Group takes over from Jodi Gendron
The Indian Head-Wolseley News has a new owner with Grasslands News Group taking over the long-time community newspaper from former owner Jodi Gendron.
Grasslands News is a area owned company that publishes the Melville Advance, Fort Qu’Appelle Times, Whitewood & Grenfell Herald Sun and this past September started the Kipling Clipper. The company’s publisher, Chris Ashfield, of Whitewood, has worked for more than 30 years in the community newspaper industry in Saskatchewan and is a fourth generation newspaper publisher.
The change of ownership, which took effect on Dec. 1, brings with it a brand new fresh look to the newspaper as well as more locally written news. While the newspaper will always focus on news from the Indian Head and Wolseley area, it will also include news from other Grasslands News’ publications.
“People want their own distinct newspaper but they are also interested in seeing what is happening in other communities throughout the area. So, as we do with all our publications, we will provide people with both local and regional news in the Indian Head-Wolseley News. That lets them see what’s happening in nearby communities as well as lets people in those communities see what’s happening in the Indian Head and Wolseley areas,” said Ashfield.
Bringing the Indian Head-Wolseley News under their Grasslands News umbrella was a perfect fit according to Ashfield. With the company already publishing newspapers to the east, west north and south, adding the Indian Head-Wolseley News filled in a gap in their coverage area and will now provide new options for businesses and organizations that want to reach a larger market.
“Advertisers will have the option to extend their reach into neighbouring publications or into all five of our publications at a very minimal cost. This will allow businesses and organizations to reach new customers and ultimately grow and succeed, which in turn makes our communities stronger,” said Ashfield.
Taking over a newspaper in the middle of a pandemic, economic downturn and while people seemed more focused on social media than the world around them is something Ashfield said people have asked him about. But he says those challenges are what makes the newspaper more important now than ever before. He said because of things like social media, people are becoming disjointed from their communities and many business and organizations are no longer being noticed as they get lost in the shuffle and social media overload.
“There is actually a traditional media resurgence happening all across Canada and the USA. This comes as companies like Apple and Google are allowing people to block targeted algorithms and social media is becoming saturated and less appealing to people. Advertisers have recognized this and while they see there is a need for them to be on social media, they are also seeing social media is the bare minimum that they can do when it comes to reaching people. If they want to grow or be competitive, they can’t just rely on social media. That can only be a small part of their campaign. That’s why we are seeing businesses coming back to traditional media such as the community newspapers,” said Ashfield.
“Despite the changes in technology and social media, community newspapers remain as important and relevant today as they always have been. In many cases, they are the only record of history for many communities. Nowhere else, than in a newspaper, can you look back 10, 20, 50 or even 100 years and find out what was happening in a community,” added Ashfield.
Former publisher Jodi Gendron said she is happy to see the Indian Head-Wolsley News – which has been in her family since her father Ken McCabe bought it in May 1983 – continue to publish and serve the community. Having grown up in the industry, she knows the importance of having a newspaper in the community.
“It was a tough decision because I’ve worked for the Indian Head-Wolseley News for over 38 years. My father had previously owned the paper, and has since passed away, so there is an emotional attachment. It is important to me that the community of Indian Head still have a newspaper, so the fact that Grasslands News agreed to take it over made the decision much easier,” said Gendron.
Gendron has agreed to work with Grasslands News through the transition to help ensure a smooth process for both readers and advertisers. Moving forward, stories will be primarily written by Indian Head based reporter Sarah Pacio, who will cover the news for Indian Head, Wolseley and Grenfell areas.
Other changes people will notice with the newspaper are that it is now a Friday publication, but it will still primarily be distributed on Thursdays. The newspaper will also immediately begin to offer online subscriptions and have a website where local and provincial news will be posted along with stories from all Grasslands News publications. The website address is ihnews.ca, which will redirect people to the Grasslands News website.
Subscription prices for readers in Saskatchewan will also see a slight reduction to $45 from their current $50 for Indian Head readers and $60 for other readers. Online subscriptions will be $38 for the year or $5 per month and can be purchased through the website using a credit card.
“There will be other changes we will also look at making down the road, including offering cheaper subscriptions for people wanting to use a key-coded pick-up box, which Grasslands News uses in other communities we serve. We also want to engage with both readers and advertisers to find out what they want to see from their newspaper and make sure it’s designed to suit their needs,” said Ashfield.
People wanting to contact Grasslands News about news, advertising, subscriptions or commercial printing can call their toll free number at 1-844-GNG-NEWS (1-844-464-6397). Information about renewing or subscribing can also be found on the back page of this week’s edition.
