Little Papers Big Country

A few months ago, Jim Hopson, a retired newspaper executive, e-mailed to tell us about a trip he was planning. He would walk across the country, stopping at small newspapers along the way to talk with editors and publishers. He is seeking the answer to a simple, but still unanswered, question: What effect are the pressures squeezing major national news organizations having on America's small newspapers?

Jim left Lewes, Del., this morning. He has more than 6,000 miles ahead of him. We'll be helping him maintain this blog to keep you posted on his progress.

Check back later this week for a map charting Jim's trip. Follow along. And feel free to get in contact with him to ask a question, make a suggestion or invite him to stop by your newsroom.

Here's his first post.

My name is Jim Hopson and I retired early in 2007 after 33 years in the newspaper business, most recently as publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, and vice president-publishing of Lee Enterprises. One of the big reasons I retired at 60 was to fulfull my longtime ambition of walking across the US. I wanted to get moving while I still had the physical capacity to make the trip (assuming I
actually do!).

I will be walking a route called the American Discovery Trail. It is a coast-to-coast hiking/bike route that was plotted in the early '90s. A handful of people tackle it each year, and I am one of the 2007 class. I depart from Lewes, Delaware, on Monday, April 30, and if things go as planned, I'll wind up somewhere near the Kansas-Colorado line about the first of October. I will lay low over the winter and resume the trip to the Pacific in the spring of 2008. Anybody interested in the route can read more at www.discoverytrail.org.

Along my route I will visit small newspapers and talk with their publishers and editors. We are all painfully aware of the hard times the big-market dailies are experiencing, brought about by the changing media consumption habits of younger adults and the proliferation of media options that dilute both consumer and advertising market share. I think the situation is different with small newspapers that don't face the same daunting market forces, and I want to explore the realities and outlook for this country's small papers. I have interviews lined up from Delaware to Kansas, and I plan to report on
what I learn.

I've bought all my gear, marched around town in full pack and hiking regalia, practiced putting up my tent and cooking on my cookstove. I'm as ready to make this trip as I will ever get. Assuming my body doesn't fall apart, and that I don't get run over by truck somewhere in West Virginia, I'll be logging about 20 miles a day for the next five months.

My friends at Poynter tell me that they are working on a way to provide progress reports as I stumble my way west. I'll be carrying my cellphone so that anybody who needs to contact me can reach me
along the way at 740-348-6809. Wish me luck!