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| Publisher tried to give away newspaper, but not enough people wanted to own it Publisher tried to give away newspaper, but not enough people wanted to own it | |
| (2 months later) | |
| An essay competition to win a 127-year-old Vermont newspaper has been abandoned after not enough people submitted entries, its publisher said on Tuesday. | An essay competition to win a 127-year-old Vermont newspaper has been abandoned after not enough people submitted entries, its publisher said on Tuesday. |
| Ross Connelly, who has run the Hardwick Gazette for the past 30 years, had hoped to find a new publisher through the competition. | Ross Connelly, who has run the Hardwick Gazette for the past 30 years, had hoped to find a new publisher through the competition. |
| Applicants had to submit 400 words detailing their “skills and vision” for operating the Gazette, along with a $175 entry fee. Connelly said he needed to receive at least 700 entries to make the competition financially viable. He was forced to abandon the competition after the number was far lower. | Applicants had to submit 400 words detailing their “skills and vision” for operating the Gazette, along with a $175 entry fee. Connelly said he needed to receive at least 700 entries to make the competition financially viable. He was forced to abandon the competition after the number was far lower. |
| “It was scores of entries,” he said. “I did not come near the 700.” | “It was scores of entries,” he said. “I did not come near the 700.” |
| People sent in essays from Canada, Australia, Italy and the UK, as well as from “all over” the United States, Connelly said. The winner would have taken ownership of the paper and its office in Hardwick, about 30 miles south of the Canadian border. The Gazette has been based in the same building for more than 100 years. | People sent in essays from Canada, Australia, Italy and the UK, as well as from “all over” the United States, Connelly said. The winner would have taken ownership of the paper and its office in Hardwick, about 30 miles south of the Canadian border. The Gazette has been based in the same building for more than 100 years. |
| Applicants ranged from college journalism students, to people who were already working in the media, to “some who didn’t have journalism experience”. | Applicants ranged from college journalism students, to people who were already working in the media, to “some who didn’t have journalism experience”. |
| “Do I want to measure this thing by only the number of entries? No, I don’t,” Connelly said. | “Do I want to measure this thing by only the number of entries? No, I don’t,” Connelly said. |
| “I came away gratified that we did it. There are lots of people out there that still have a passion for print journalism and still recognise its importance.” | “I came away gratified that we did it. There are lots of people out there that still have a passion for print journalism and still recognise its importance.” |
| Connelly, 71, bought the Gazette with his wife, Susan Jarzyna, in 1986. He had previously worked as a journalist in Cape Cod but had family in Vermont and quickly settled into his role as publisher. Jarzyna died in 2011, which meant Connelly was essentially running the Gazette on his own. | Connelly, 71, bought the Gazette with his wife, Susan Jarzyna, in 1986. He had previously worked as a journalist in Cape Cod but had family in Vermont and quickly settled into his role as publisher. Jarzyna died in 2011, which meant Connelly was essentially running the Gazette on his own. |
| “I came to understand long before she died that you need more than two people at the helm to run a newspaper of this size,” he said. | “I came to understand long before she died that you need more than two people at the helm to run a newspaper of this size,” he said. |
| “It’s a mom-and-pop operation, if you will. Mom wasn’t there and pop couldn’t do it all himself, so it just came to the point where I knew the newspaper needed new energy and new ownership.” | “It’s a mom-and-pop operation, if you will. Mom wasn’t there and pop couldn’t do it all himself, so it just came to the point where I knew the newspaper needed new energy and new ownership.” |
| The Hardwick Gazette is a weekly broadsheet, which goes on sale every Wednesday. (Connelly was rushing to finish this week’s issue when he spoke to the Guardian.) | The Hardwick Gazette is a weekly broadsheet, which goes on sale every Wednesday. (Connelly was rushing to finish this week’s issue when he spoke to the Guardian.) |
| It has a circulation of 2,200 and costs 75 cents. Readers can save money by subscribing – $35 a year for those in Vermont, $38 for those out of state. The Gazette also has subscribers in Scotland, England and Canada. They receive their copies by airmail. | It has a circulation of 2,200 and costs 75 cents. Readers can save money by subscribing – $35 a year for those in Vermont, $38 for those out of state. The Gazette also has subscribers in Scotland, England and Canada. They receive their copies by airmail. |
| Connelly launched the essay contest in June, and it closed on 11 October. When it became apparent that the number of entries would not meet the total, Connelly also launched a Kickstarter campaign to “try to bridge the gap between the number of entries and what we needed to make the whole thing financially viable”. | Connelly launched the essay contest in June, and it closed on 11 October. When it became apparent that the number of entries would not meet the total, Connelly also launched a Kickstarter campaign to “try to bridge the gap between the number of entries and what we needed to make the whole thing financially viable”. |
| The Kickstarter campaign also failed. But Connelly is still optimistic about the Gazette’s future. When he returned the essayists’ application fees, he enclosed notes inviting them to discuss buying the newspaper outright. | The Kickstarter campaign also failed. But Connelly is still optimistic about the Gazette’s future. When he returned the essayists’ application fees, he enclosed notes inviting them to discuss buying the newspaper outright. |
| “And I had six or eight of the entrants respond,” Connelly said. | “And I had six or eight of the entrants respond,” Connelly said. |
| “They all look serious, and so I’m hopeful once again that the new owner of the Gazette will be found.” | “They all look serious, and so I’m hopeful once again that the new owner of the Gazette will be found.” |