HomeTowne Studios in Cortland was the location for a town hall meeting on Thursday, May 15, to announce the May 17 relaunch of the Cortland Standard, which has out of circulation since March, and to reintroduce the team. The town hall also served to gauge the community on what type of news they would like to see moving forward and to field ideas.
Flanked by Brian Nalepa, president of Sample News Group, publisher of over 75 titles in four states and now adding the Cortland Standard to its ranks, the main players involved in the relaunch welcomed the approximately 100 guests who filed in to welcome the newspaper’s return and meet the folks who helped make it all happen.
Mindy Lawrence, former advertising and marketing manager for the Cortland Standard and the publisher of the Oswego County Media Group, was on hand to answer questions from guests and to share the importance of journalism and local news within communities.
Margaret Weaver, managing editor for Sample News Group in the Pittsburgh area, and Paul Cifonelli, who will be serving as the newspaper’s managing editor, were also at the town hall to answer any questions regarding the relaunch and the continuation of the Cortland Standard.
Nalepa, who opened the discussion, talked about Sample Media and the acquisition of the Cortland Standard, stating, “We are all about Main Street; we operate in small towns.”
“We don’t want you to be a news desert anymore,” Napela emphasized, opening the conversation for everyone’s favorite topic, the Cortland Standard, established on June 25, 1867, as the Cortland County Standard, with its first edition being printed on a flatbed press.
Its closure in March saddened the community, with many expressing at Thursday’s town hall just what the newspaper has meant to them.
Molly Lane, of Cortland, was among the crowd that packed the town hall who expressed her feelings around the relaunch.
“I am immensely excited,” Lane exclaimed. “I was never a news person because of what I see happening worldwide, but I love touching a newspaper.”
Jim Nichols echoed the sentiments of others in the room, stating, “Life in Cortland has not been the same since the loss of the Cortland Standard.”
Gina Freeland, who once worked for the Cortland Standard, was at the town hall and stated that she felt empty when the newspaper discontinued publication in March.
“The paper has been in the community for years,” said Freeland, who worked for the Standard for 44 years, back when it was family-owned.
Cortland mayor, Scott Steve, who is now serving his second term in office, showed up at the town hall and was looking forward to Saturday’s relaunch with great anticipation.
“I love it,” Steve said about the relaunch. “I really miss the newspaper, and I’m excited.”
Connie White, a Marathon resident involved in the Marathon Neighborhood News who also serves as the village’s historian and as president of the historical society, became a blogger and has been a columnist for decades. White came to rally around the importance of local news and it’s connection to the community.
“I’m excited,” said White, adding, “I believe in the printed page.”
“When I hear that local news comes first, that’s what we want,” White exclaimed.
As for the town hall itself, which lasted over an hour, questions fielded surrounded subscription rates, whether opinions and letters to the editor would be published, whether there would be a focus on local news versus national news, and several questions surrounding the expansion of sports coverage.
For this, Lawrence assured guests that they would be a “good steward” and would work with the community to get the news out that the readers want. This stewardship was reflected in the quick movement for the acquisition that enabled the publication to return to the hands of its readers, as well as the outreach provided at the town hall meeting to re-engage the community.
“If we look like we’ve been to war and back to make this happen,” said Lawrence, “we have.”
“This community means too much,” Lawrence added.
She also noted that subscriptions will all be honored under the new ownership, and that on Saturday the newspaper will be in the hands of residents, just like it has been for many years. After that, the newspaper will resume its daily Tuesday through Saturday print edition.
This news was met with cheers.
As for the type of news and its swiftness of delivery, Paul Cifonelli plans to continue its print and digital coverage, with breaking news or items of significant community relevance shared on other social media platforms and on the website. Guests were also reminded that digital content remains free with a paid subscription.
“We plan to be hyper-local,” said Cifonelli, another announcement at the town hall meeting that was met with cheers.
Cifonelli added that a staff of beat reporters, several college graduates, will be hitting the streets to bring the best local news to the community. There will be graduation supplements, letters to the editor, local human interest stories and a mix of local and national news.
As for the Good Old Days section, Cifonelli is working with the historical society and library to access records. College news coverage at the local level was also discussed, with questions fielded by a guest attending the town hall as a consideration.
As the staff reunites and adds to its ranks, residents can now lean back and feel assured that they aren’t a news desert anymore and that local news will reign supreme as engagement begins … and continues.
Although the printing press operations have moved to Oswego, the newspaper is being staffed temporarily on Main Street until it can move to its new offices at 50 Main St. in Cortland. This move, according to Lawrence, should happen by mid-summer.
Stay tuned by visiting cortlandstandard.com, calling (607) 756-5665 or submitting a news item to pcifonelli@cortlandstandard.com or news@cortlandstandard.com. You can also reach the publisher at mlawrence@cortlandstandard.com for additional questions.
