Help the Estacada News: Our newspaper is making big changes, but it's not too late to help

The past weeks have seen lows and highs for the future of the Estacada News.

It began with news that our friend and colleague Teresa Carson, who’s been serving as our part-time reporter, decided it was time to put her journalism career in the rear-view mirror and pivot into full-time retirement. While we were sad to say good-bye, we all knew it was just a matter of time.

Teresa’s departure, however, led to internal discussions about what comes next for the Estacada News.

First, those who subscribe to the publication began receiving letters last week informing you of our decision to combine Estacada coverage with the Sandy Post. Obviously, that change didn’t happen this week, but it’s still in the works for the coming weeks, perhaps even as soon as the Aug. 29 edition.

The reason for this merger stems from basic economics: expenses outpace revenue.

Like we said in last week’s letter, we know this comes as a disappointment. None of us associated with these publications want to take this drastic measure, but it makes the most sense in terms of our ability to address the financial realities while avoiding a complete news desert in this great community.

As a follow-up to the letter we sent to subscribers, it was also important to reach out to civic and business leaders, which I did last week. And that’s when we encountered the high points. Our decision to merge these publications was greeted with equal measures of disappointment and heart-felt understanding. In one case, a community partner pledged to bring new advertising dollars to the table in the hope that it would act as leverage to entice even more community support. A second partner is already considering a similar commitment.

With those commitments in mind, we are closer than we’ve been in years to meeting the financial benchmark needed for us to continue producing a news product specific to the Estacada community. Today we’re at least hopeful that others will see the value of supporting local journalism in this community.

We believe strongly that community-based journalism is an important thread in the fabric of life of any town — large or small. We tell the stories of businesses, such as the article in today’s edition about The Country Restaurant & Lounge’s anniversary; or the story about Estacada High School’s first state football championship in November 2022; or the intensely local and in-depth coverage of the 2020 Riverside Fire and related evacuations.

For decades we’ve reported thousands of stories running the gamut of hard news, spot news, features, sports and opinion. And we want to continue this great heritage in the months and years ahead.

But we can’t do it while losing money at the same time.

With pledges from community partners, we’re about $2,000 a month shy of the break-even point. Once there, we would pump the brakes on the merger with The Post. And we would dedicate a portion of these new financial commitments to hiring a part-time reporter or freelance writer who would provide meaningful coverage of the Estacada community.

We aren’t asking for a handout. Your dollars would convert to an array of digital and print advertising designed to tell your unique stories, putting a spotlight on your businesses and organizations.

Now is the time.

If you agree that coverage of your community matters, we invite you to help us bridge the gap between expenses and profitability.

If you are a local business or organization interested in partnering through advertising, call me, Steve Brown, at 503-890-6160. I’ll put you in contact with the right person to walk you through the advertising process.

If you would like to help by subscribing to the Estacada News, send an email to circulation@pamplinmedia.com or call us at 503-620-9797.

If you’d like to make a donation in support of our work, you can do so by calling our accounting department at 971-204-7710. Please let them know that you’d like to make a donation to support the Estacada News. This can be a one-time donation, or a monthly donation. All amounts are accepted and greatly appreciated, but because we are not a nonprofit we cannot offer any tax credits.

We’re already close to erasing the financial gap. Please help us reach the finish line.

Thank you.