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Thursday, December 12, 2013
OpiniOn P.O. Box 188, Maryville, MO, 64468
Your opinion matters. Submit your Letter to the Editor to: pcobb@maryvilledailyforum.com. Letters must be signed and contain author’s phone number for verification. The Maryville Daily Forum will not publish letters addressed to third parties. The Forum reserves the right to edit correspondence for clarity and length, as well as content and accuracy.
660-562-2424
pcobb@maryvilledailyforum.com
A new beginning for an old friend
The Maryville Daily Forum is coming home. Finally. Proprietorship of our local daily newspaper has been transferred from its former out-of-state corporate ownership to a new company headed by former Daily Forum General Manager Phil Cobb, a transition culminating more years of attempting to bring “local” back into the daily newspaper landscape of Maryville and Nodaway County than most anyone reading today’s edition can even imagine. But that struggle is over — and now the real work begins. There are sacred relationships with many loyal subscribers to be rekindled, rejustified. Even more importantly, there are fractured associations with the multitude of former readers and advertisers that must be rebuilt. Every new publisher who makes this sort of announcement to any community makes the same promise about “being the best local newspaper” that particular place ever enjoyed — and we make that promise to you. But today, there is a caveat to be noted. And that caveat is to be taken very seriously. The ownership of The Maryville Daily Forum is again in local hands. Bought by caring people with strong local ties, and solid community newspaper experience. Bought with money that was earned locally, and will be reinvested locally to the greatest degree possible. We are extremely grateful for this day. And we pledge to do our very best to earn that same gratitude from you — tomorrow, next week, and well into the months and years ahead.
Glancing around at all those familiar faces Just looking around today, I was pleasantly surprised. So many familiar faces running up and down and around the office. It has been a pretty cool first day under the Phil Cobb/Cobb Publishing regime. For those that haven’t heard, your local Maryville Daily Forum is now owned by the former General Manager Phil Cobb. Gary Darling WHAT!? Yes, you heard me right. We are now a locally owned and operated newspaper. Me? I couldn’t be happier. It is just nice to look around at a full office considering that we have been so understaffed for way too long. So what does this mean to those around Maryville and the surrounding communities? Well, talking to Phil and the rest of the editorial staff, it means that we are going to put the news back in the newspaper. Shocking, I know. Now there are going to be some growing pains as we, basically, recreate the newspaper that has been in this community for so many years. But we have a plan and the plan is a good one. I am just so happy to be a part of something with so much possibility. • • • Now I am losing some friends that I have gotten to know and care about for so many years around the office. Unfortunately, with change, sometimes, not everyone can come along for the ride. To those friends who are now out in the world seeking other jobs or other challenges in the world, I will miss you. Take care of yourselves and stop by sometime. We will do lunch. • • • So, here we go on this journey together. I think we are all going to be happier with the new regime. I know I will be. As always, if you see me around town, give me a holler and we will chat. I would love to hear what you want to see our paper evolve into.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Lee T. Schneider passed away a couple weeks ago in Maryville, a place he had called home since at least 1960. Beginning that year, he led the instrumental music program in the Maryville School District for 32 years. “Lee T”, as he was sometimes known to his band students (though it was always “Mr. Schneider” if he was within earshot), was a tireless workhorse as an educator, as was his largely-unpaid assistant and wife, Nina. Year after
The Daily Forum really is your local newspaper now With all the gloom-and-doom stories ning Times. I escaped again to Holiday circulating today about the impending Inns, Inc., for a couple of years, before demise of the actual printed word as really taking the plunge and buying the primary conveyor of mass informa- The Albany Ledger in Gentry County. tion, I should have my head examined. And as if that weren’t enough, we soon Having kicked my real, hands-on added the Stanberry Headlight. newspaper habit as much as I expected Now here’s where the plot begins to I ever could — I even read the Kansas thicken. City Star and other proud nameplates Those two weekly newspapers on an iPad my kids gave me for my were operated for almost seven years most recent birthday last week — I had in friendly competition with the Trinot given much thought County News in King to getting back in the City, published by Bob (rat?) race, so to speak, Cobb, a former editor of again. the Maryville Daily FoAt least not until the rum, and his wife, Lana. opportunity presented itBob had abandoned self a few months back. high school teaching to I have been infatuated get back in the newspawith newspapering for per business. They were the majority of my adult as nuts as we were, but life. Heck, I was smitten boy, did we have fun. even before that — back I left Albany to rein junior high school to turn to the daily newsbe honest. paper business in El I was the editor of my Dorado, Ark., after our Jim Fall high school newspaper publications were sold which, in a round-about Executive Editor to the Cobbs — Bob and way, led to my Weekly/ Lana, and their son, Phil. Small Daily Publication course of It was perfect for everyone, and how study in the School of Journalism at Phil learned the business. Bob was still the University of Missouri. Armed printing his newspaper at the Daily Fowith a diploma, the ink on which was rum when I became its publisher and not completely dry, I struck out for our friendship flourished again. Carbondale, Ill., to become a cub reSoon afterwards, the Forum was porter for The Southern Illinoisan. acquired by yet another out-of-state That gig lasted a little more than six group, and I was expendable. Unmonths before I was summoned by able to bear the idea of parting with my Uncle Sam to join the U.S. Army, Maryville, as much the community as putting in a full two years dividing my the newspaper job, the wheels began to time between assistant instructor and turn and I soon aligned Public Information Office writer at with the then-publishers of the Penny Fort Bragg, N.C. Press shopper to launch the Maryville After a short stint back in Carbon- FREE PRESS, a free weekly, in 1992. dale, where it readily became evident Our original one-year plan to foster acI could not support a wife, and a baby, quisition The Forum eventually ran out on reporter’s pay, I washed the ink off after more than two years. my hands for a few years. I headed for Montana to be execuBut I was unable to get over the tive director of the Montana Newspamore serious affliction that the prover- per Association for the next 10 years, bial printer’s ink had infected me with but never really lost the desire to reand was soon back in the business, unite with The Forum, which changed this time as managing editor of my hands another couple of times while I hometown West Memphis, Ark. Eve- was away.
year, he brought success to the MHS Marching Band by working long hours and demanding excellence from his students. Old-time East Crestview residents probably remember the 7 a.m. marching practices down their streets to perfect the art of turning a 100+ member band around a 90 degree corner with flair. From there, each day he went to the junior high and taught 5th-8th grade band, and then private lessons until after 5 p.m. Junior high kids had Solo Night; high school students went to spring competitions; all
of them had Christmas and spring concerts. Through his efforts, the MHS Band ultimately travelled from coast to coast, participating in the Portland Rose Festival (Oregon) and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (New York City), as well as venues in-between. For ‘band & football kids’, he worked out his field show (halftime show) so we needn’t be in the show on Friday nights but we had a spot on Saturday mornings at the competitions. Much like some of the successful sports programs we enjoy at
With local professionals Mike Herring and Phil Cobb serving as ad managers and/ or publishers/general managers, the MDF, as it was identified in its nameplate for a period, enjoyed local management, but its actual ownership was another story. Our inquiries about the possibility of a sale were first presented in probably 2008, but always rebuffed, basically without even so much as a civil response. Hammered by competition from all sides, and with corporate-induced staff and resource reductions, the daily’s influence began to shrink, reaching an all-time low with the defection of Phil, and the entire advertising sales staff, to launch their new venture, The Post, on April Fools Day two years ago. In August, Phil again inquired about the possibility of a sale, and to almost everyone’s surprise, his overture was received positively. After a comparatively slow start, the train began its runaway trek toward realization — in a hurry. So, as of today, the latest chapter in the long and mostly illustrious history of the Maryville Daily Forum begins. And I truly believe good things are in store — really good things. Publisher Cobb has assembled a group that gives every indication of being a competent staff. It’s obvious the ad folks know what they are doing, or we wouldn’t be here in the first place. The news staff is a combination of grizzled veterans and eager young upand-comers with local connection and/ or ties. And there are even resident Internet gurus to ensure the top-of-theline electronic presence so important nowadays. When I “retired” before moving “back home” to Maryville, I said I’d enjoyed my newspaper life, but was glad to move on to other things. But I never said “never,” and now, here we go again. And if you hadn’t already figured it out — I am excited. I am VERY excited.
MHS these days, Mr. Schneider led a unit that went out year after year and made Maryville proud of its youngsters. For a decade or more, only MHS won the Clarinda Marching Competition. Students from other school districts have told me that ‘back in the day’, they would backtrack after finishing a parade so they could see the Marching Spoofhounds come high-stepping down the same parade route. His program gave many kids some success, something that helps pass the high-school days in a productive way. Pride and tradi-
tion are wonderful things for kids to be a part of; he gave MHS students both. By the late 1970s when he was my teacher, we would look at the group pictures dating back to 1960 and we could see how time had marched on for him. To think that he kept up that pace for at least another decade is a feat. Maryville is, and was, a better place because of his efforts. Doug Thomson, attorney Maryville, MO