Eagle Democrat in Warren soars one year after near-closure

Continued from page 1 the past year. A special focus of the publication is the construction of a stateof-the-art basketball arena at Warren High School that is the pride of the community. Warren voters passed a special millage for construction of the facility.

Another popular special section involves lots of photos of this year’s kindergarten class at the local school and comments by the children on what they want to be when they grow up. “It seems the boys want to be firemen and policemen and the girls want to be doctors, babysitters and cheerleaders,” Hogg said with a laugh.

The newspaper also has developed a website and has a more consistent presence on social media.

Hogg has firm ideas on what it takes to remain successful in the field of community journalism.

“Hyperlocal is absolutely the ticket,” she said. “I can’t harp on that enough. You have to be out there and involved in the community. People want to see you at meetings and events.”

Hogg said coverage of city and county board meetings is a critical responsibility for a strong community newspaper.

“People can’t make it personally to all these community meetings and they rely on us to keep them informed. I think we are held to a high standard in this regard, as we should be.”

She said transparency in government is important and the local newspaper stands as the only institution to help make certain this happens in most communities. In addition to covering the meetings in person, the staff places meeting agendas and minutes on the newspaper’s website. Hogg said, in this age of multiple and sometimes questionable sources of online information, the local newspaper performs a critical role.

“People count on us for factual information. They expect a high level of correctness, and it is our job to do that.”

Hogg also serves as managing editor of the nearby Advance-Monticellonian, also owned by Smith Newspapers. The Warren newspaper is printed in Monticello and most business operations are handled in that office.

The Eagle Democrat retains a local office in Warren, manned by editor Zach Killian. He is a native of Warren, which helps him understand the traditions and interests of the community. Hogg also has solid knowledge of the Warren community, having served there as director of the chamber of commerce.

A very strong local interest is the success of the vaunted Warren Lumberjacks football program, which has notched four state championships in recent years. Hogg anticipates providing increased photo coverage of Warren sports in the future.

Hogg said the newspaper averages about 10 printed pages a week and is augmented by the special sections. Evidence of community acceptance of the changes and improvements is an increase in circulation.

Publisher Tom White also is a native of Warren, and his father and grandfather owned the newspaper in earlier years. He said one of his first jobs was selling newspapers on the streets of Warren. That personal history makes it particularly satisfying for him to see the publication continue.

White has served as president of the Arkansas Press Association, which was instrumental in helping keep the newspaper going until the sale was finalized.

Smith Newspapers, which is headquartered in Fort Payne, Ala., acquired The Eagle Democrat from Danny and Pam Cook. The couple worked for many years at the newspaper before purchasing it in 1998.

The Cooks were employed for years by long-time publisher Bob Newton. A graduate of Warren High School and Hendrix College, he joined the newspaper staff in 1953, became editor in 1957 and gradually obtained financial interest until he eventually became sole owner. Newton was a major contributor to a newspaper that has had a remarkable history over the years, including coverage of the devastating tornadoes of 1949 and 1975. Cook also operated a heating and air business in Warren and was advised by his doctor to continue with either it or the newspaper. The Cooks decided it was in their best interest to sell the newspaper. They struggled to find a buyer and were on the verge of closing the storied publication. That’s when White and his company made the decision to keep local journalism alive in Warren and Bradley County.

“I fully expected someone to buy the paper,” White said at the time in an article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “When it came down to it and was an imminent thing, I decided I needed to step in and keep the paper going.”

It is encouraging to see that history of accurate and responsible journalism continue through the efforts of a dedicated staff serving the people of Warren and Bradley County.