GRAVETTE — The newspaper office in Gravette welcomed new staff members Wednesday of last week. This is part of the process of combining Gravette, Gentry and Decatur newspapers into a new publication, “The Westside Eagle Observer”.
The move last week of the office equipment from the Gentry Courier-Journal and its editor Randy Moll and Janelle Jessen, who handles all of The Decatur Herald goings-on, is a prelude to the above-mentioned consolidation which will be effective August 4.
Moll, who has been editor of the Gentry Courier-Journal the past four years, brings expertise, not only in writing but also an extraordinary talent in photography.
Persons who have seen copies of the Gentry paper have marveled at his ability to capture persons and scenes that have been prize winners in state press association competition. Also his writing talent has garnered numerous state awards.
Jessen, who is a familiar face in the Decatur area, likewise has greatly amplified the news coverage for that city and school as well as all Decatur happenings during recent years. She also is an accomplishedphotographer as attested by her work that appears weekly in The Decatur Herald as well as in the Gentry publication.
The two began working out of the Gravette office this week as they become more familiar to Gravette area residents. Persons in Gentry and Decatur are still able to access those towns’ newspapers through automatically forwarded phone calls and email communications.
Moll and Jessen both wrote articles in their respective publications last week explaining to their readers the changes and how those changes will, in fact, make coverage of their town events more broad.
The News Herald will continue to operate as in the past with someone in the office Monday through Friday. Susan Holland, the News Herald typesetter, will continue her regular schedule.
New equipment has been installed to enable the publication of the separate papers until the merger becomes effective early next month.
“This month-long ‘get acquainted’ period will allow the staff to mesh working together efficiently and to work out any ‘bugs’ thatmay occur in the electronic and communications network,” said Dodie Evans, editor of The News Herald.
“All-in-all the change is a plus for the entire west side region from near Siloam Springs to the Missouri state line, which will be coverage for the new “Eagle”.
“We know this will take some getting used to, not only by the readers but also by the staff as they continue to dedicate their efforts to the coverage in their respective communities.
“Advertisers will also benefit through the new publication since the Eagle will be distributed to a much broader circulation base.
“We know change can sometimes be confusing but the pluses will prove the merger is in the best interest, not only for the papers, but especially for our readers and the entirearea,” Evans said.
“Newspapers throughout the nation have experienced challenging conditions the past few years and, due to the prolonged recession, many such mergers have occurred.
“The most important fact is that we all still have a paper devoted to our communities and area,” he concluded.
News, Pages 1 on 06/30/2010