I was saddened when I saw the front page of the Eureka Reporter today.  No more will we have two competing daily newspapers in Humboldt County CA.  The daily paper created by local Rob Arkley will cease to exist after it's last edition comes out this coming Saturday.

I remember the day that the Eureka Reporter started cranking out news and they were seen as serious competition for the Times Standard, then the only game in town.  And it was an incredible sight to see two daily newspapers compete in an already media saturated market (Humboldt County) that serves a small population of 130,000 people.

When the Eureka Reporter started up a few years ago, I was the Promotions Director for KHUM, KSLG and KWPT and I was taking a beginning reporters class at Humboldt State University.  I remember all of my classmates, as well as my radio collegues, being excited to see an improvement in our local news coverage.  Mediocrity was finally challenged.  The San Francisco Chronicle was even intrigued and wrote several articles about the “daily newspaper wars” between the Eureka Reporter and the Times Standard.  How refreshing it was to see some real competition.

I think competition is a good thing.  It forces us to look inside ourselves and to ask the questions:  What can I do to achieve greatness?  What do I need to do to stand out from the crowd and how can I improve so I deliver a superior service or product? 

The same goes for the news industry. The Eureka Reporter’s existence lit a fire under the staff at the Times Standard to really take a look at the quality of the news they provided our community and to really ratchet it up to meet a higher standard than before.  And when there’s competition you almost always see improvement. 

A friend of mine, Jeff Smoller, mentioned that this competition even made the Times Standard take on positions it normally wouldn’t have taken on if they were the only daily around.  Which always makes the issues we face every day in Humboldt County CA, even in our local municipalities like Eureka, Arcata, and Fortuna CA, much more interesting to read about.

Why this has happened now we may never know.  It may be the signs of the economic times, or that our community is too small to truly financially support two daily newspapers.  But my heart reaches out to those employees who will no longer have a job to go to after this Saturday and I hope those in our community will be able to reach out and help many of them find employment very soon.

Copyright 2008 Jessica Bigger.  All Rights Reserved. *Humboldt County CA Daily Newspaper Wars are Over - Local Upstart Eureka Reporter Closes its Doors*

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Contact Jessica Bigger, Realtor®, Ming Tree GMAC Real Estate at 707-269-4305 to list your home for sale or to purchase your first or next home in Eureka, Cutten, Bayside, Arcata, McKinleyville, Westhaven, Trinidad and the rest of Humboldt County California.

To view all Humboldt County CA Historic and Luxury Homes for Sale Click Here, then click on Search Area Listings at the top of the web site.  I know Humboldt County CA well and can help you get your home Sold or help you buy your next Humboldt County California Home. Call today!