First Things First

Reaching All Ages Important

Posted

Sometimes confirmation comes from unexpected sources.

Heading into this journey as owner, publisher, editor, and whatever else comes up of the Kemper County Messenger the vision for the paper has been clear.

We most certainly want to provide our longtime readers with the things they are interested in, but we also want to make sure all ages are engaged in the newspaper. Most of the younger generations see no need to hold a newspaper and turn its pages one at a time.

For a small local newspaper to survive, the desire to hold the paper, read it, consume it, and interact with it must be passed down.

But how can that be accomplished? Well, to be honest, there is not enough space in this week’s column to delve into all of the details. But one thing we are sure of is that there needs to be things in the paper for those in their teens, 20s, 30, 40s, etc., as well as for those who are either on the south side of 9 or north side of 90.

And that’s where my confirmation came about.

On Monday, right in the middle of putting out this week’s edition of the Messenger, I found myself doing something I enjoy more than I can explain — taking care of my 8-year-old granddaughter Harper and 6-year-old grandson Easton.

That afternoon, about 3 or so I loaded them up in my car to take them to meet their father halfway between Meridian and their home in Brandon.

Unless they are hooked up to an iPad they are normally not the quietest and most cooperative of passengers, to say the least. But before I could even get out of Meridian they were already quiet, basically remaining that way until we reached our transfer destination of Lake.

I couldn’t figure out what was going on until I realized that they had dug into the pile of Kemper County Messengers I had in the backseat and had become enthralled with the Kid’s Page.

They worked the Word Search, and tried to see how many words they could spell from Ocean Liner, and even toyed with the Word Scramble and crossword.

It actually had them consumed.

When I was getting them out of my car to get into their dad’s I asked him this: “Can you guess what your kids were doing on the ride over here?” His first guess was a legitimate one — “Whining and fussing.” I said “nope, they were playing with the newspaper Grams and Pops just bought.”

That hour-long ride helped me see that maybe this really would work. That we could not only inform the public and at times entertain them, but we could also engage with the younger generation.

Yep, Monday was a mighty fine day. Mighty fine.

Be Blessed!

Austin Bishop is editor and publisher of the Kemper County Messenger. He and his wife Barbara took over ownership of the newspaper on Oct. 1, 2021. Bishop, who has worked in the journalism field for 45 years, is also pastor of Great Commission Assembly of God in Philadelphia.






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