Could a different approach to the plight of local papers have kept the Lumina News afloat? Would someone else with a different business model or a robust marketing campaign have spread the word earlier on to seek out funding and rally community support? Or, as has been widely predicted and unfortunately, been the case in so many other areas, is the small town paper really dying? While I'd reached an initial conclusion while Googling the company's story, after thinking it over I did end up changing my mind). See what you think here.
*Update January 22nd: there is nothing new on the website or FB page. I'm sad to think perhaps there just wasn't enough interest?? Hope I'm wrong....).
*Update January 27th: sent a message to them via Facebook. No new posts I can see, wondering if a plan has been been proposed and/or support from the community? What does this say about our increasingly selfish world of today if people DON'T step up and want to save the voice of their town? 🙁
January 9th: Lumina News, Star News Begin Year With New Realities "Lane has owned the weekly paper since February 2017, and, while publishing a local weekly was “a dream come true,” it has been an overwhelming job, he said."
January 2nd: LUMINA NEWS COULD SHUT DOWN IN ONE WEEK WWAY News
On January 10th an update of sorts had appeared, submitted by an area resident, mulling over the possibility of staying afloat. "Value of a Local Newspaper" points out how the unique essence of a town can be only presented by an intimate source, if you will; "Our local small town newspaper Lumina News is an asset to our community. It reports on our town and reflects our culture, our issues, our interests, our resident engagement, our very understanding of what is going on."
At the same time, an eloquent letter from the owner/editor detailed a number of considerations surrounding this decision; "Last week, I published an article that detailed some of the issues facing the publication. It was essentially a plea for help. At the same time, I was gauging whether there was an interest from the Wrightsville Beach community in retaining its local newspaper.
Fortunately, there was a robust response, from local businesses to concerned citizens to sympathetic well wishers. It even attracted interest from a few other local media outlets, with the Lumina News being the next local newspaper to succumb to the economic realities of the changing media market. But while I had several promising discussions, alas, no definitive solution has presented itself. Nonetheless, there are reasons to be encouraged, as several parties have demonstrated interest in finding such a solution." Follow the paper's Facebook page and website.
Since then I've not had time to search out further updates - and to tell the truth, I'm a little afraid to look. I hope the people who live there cared enough to react, and I'm hoping this won't just be another eulogy to the lives and issues and happenings of a random zip code in America.
