Newspapers are an integral part of a community, and for many subscribers it is a way to connect to the community and to stay informed. National Newspaper week is being observed October 4 to 10, and this year there will be a recognition of the service of newspapers and their employees.
The Weyburn Review has a very loyal subscriber base, with many long-time and new subscribers who take the time to read every page of the newspaper.
For Ron Fellner, it is especially important to ensure he has his newspaper in hand the day it is out on the stands. When he had his newspaper sent to his farm, the paper sometimes got delayed in the mail and he felt that he was missing out. Fellner is now one of a handful of people who pick up their newspaper straight from the office, so he knows he will not miss any important news updates.
“I have been a subscriber all my adult life, and my folks subscribed,” said Fellner. “The Weyburn Review has been around my life ever since I can remember.”
“The Review always has local news, and it is important to be a subscriber because if you don’t have a local newspaper it becomes like other things in the community … once you lose it, it would be tough to get it back,” added Fellner.
“When I read the Review, I do it the same way by going page by page. A lot of times it is where I first hear about local news. There are all sorts of information that you don’t get anywhere else.”
Fellner feels that the Weyburn Review excels at the topics that are published every week on the editorial page. “If you are passionate about something and want someone else to know, that is a good place to get it out in the community. I might not always agree with Greg Nikkel (editor of the Weyburn Review), but more often than not I find it interesting to read the editorial and the Nikkel’s Worth.”
He noted that over the years, the Weyburn Review has won numerous awards from the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association, and many of those awards were won due to the editorial page, with Nikkel winning many Best Editorial awards.
“I think that a newspaper is essential in a community, especially one of this size (Weyburn). A newspaper is just as essential as a hockey rink, or swimming pool or even the Golf Course. If you do not have these things in your community, it is tough drawing people to want to come to live and work here, and be part of the community,” said Fellner.
Margaret Lukey is another second-generation subscriber of the Weyburn Review. “I can remember my parents getting the Review. At that time, the Review and the Western Producer were the main newspapers that were important to them.”
During the days when Lukey worked in home care in Trossachs, it was important to read the entire newspaper. “On the day that the Review came, I made sure to read it. All the seniors that I was working with, if you did not know what was in the Review, you couldn’t have a conversation … because they all had already read the Review.”
Lukey is another subscriber who finds a lot of value in the Editorial page. “There have been many times when I have given my congratulations to Greg (Nikkel), because he writes such a good column. I usually agree with him… not always … but I just like to read his columns.”
“His editorials are always covering something local, which is prudent. It really applies to current events that happened in the last week. He is quite a remarkable writer.”
“I always like to read the arts and other local happenings that are in the newspaper. I have lived around Weyburn most of my life, so I am so interested in lots of people and their stories,” said Lukey. “I just like to get the local news. Every year, when my subscription is due, I renew because I can’t get along without the Weyburn Review.”
“If you are a community person, you should take the Weyburn Review. You truly find out the important things about our community right away,” added Lukey.
The Weyburn Review will continue to celebrate National Newspaper Week with another interview with local subscribers in the Weyburn This Week, to be published on Friday.
