Longtime Paddock Publications leader reflects on 46-year career

First of two parts

For Daniel E. Baumann, the changing of the guard at the head the Paddock Publications last week culminated a 46-year career with the company as a reporter, manager and, ultimately, director and chairman of the board.

Baumann stepped down, saying it was an appropriate time to allow an effective transition for Publisher and CEO Douglas K. Ray to move into the chairman's role.

Baumann led Paddock Publications as it transformed from the publisher of a successful-but-imperiled group of weeklies into an information company comprising the third largest daily newspaper in the state of Illinois, a successful online publication, a weekly journal of news for suburban Latinos and a host of regular specialty news and entertainment products.

As he prepared to assume his new title of chairman emeritus and step further away from the daily operations of the company, we asked him to reflect on his experiences and the paper's outlook for the future.

Q: How did you get involved in journalism in general and with Paddock Publications specifically? When you began, did you expect to spend so much of your career with one company?A: One thing often leads to another. I always wanted to be a writer and saw journalism as a way to get a paycheck for doing what I enjoyed. I received a B.A. in journalism at UW-Madison with a minor in Russian language. I had an interest in Russia and the Russian people, who suffered so much under the communists and in two world wars. I hoped to prepare myself to be a correspondent in Moscow. After graduating, I worked for two family-owned papers, a weekly in the Milwaukee suburbs and a small daily in downstate Illinois, then returned to Madison for a master's in political science with a certificate in Russian area studies - history, politics, geography, etc. No one told me, or perhaps I didn't ask, that newly minted experts are not immediately snatched up by the large national papers and sent off to make their mark in Moscow.In any event, no one snatched me up, so after I received my master's I took a job in public relations to gain experience in Washington, working with people in administrative agencies and in Congress.I was an idealistic young journalist, not cut out for public relations work, and after a couple years I began applying for newspaper jobs. In May 1964 my wife and I, expecting our second child, moved here with our two-year-old son. The quiet, tree-lined streets of Arlington Heights seemed like a better place to raise a family than Washington, D.C.Q: At what point did you realize that the Daily Herald was where you wanted to remain? As you were helping design the transition of the weekly newspaper into a daily, what was your vision for what the publication would become?A: The then-weekly Herald publications were growing rapidly, along with the suburbs, and the decision was made to go daily. This gave me an opportunity to supervise staff, which I realized I enjoyed even though it meant less writing. The growth and opportunities Paddock afforded convinced me this was my permanent home.The initial vision for a Daily Herald was virtually all local news. There were still four metro dailies published in Chicago, and we had an aggressive daily competitor whose content was entirely local. Our first daily resembled a sophisticated five-times-a-week community weekly.Q: To what degree did the paper achieve its initial vision? A: Initially it was very successful, but after a few years it plateaued. Market research told us that people were increasingly unwilling to subscribe to two daily newspapers, and we were forcing them to choose between a paper devoted almost entirely to local news and a broader-interest metro. We adjusted the mix to reflect the vision we have today: "Big Picture. Local Focus."Q: You had a special relationship with the Paddock family. How did that develop and grow? Was it an outgrowth of your shared vision for the newspaper?A: All of the Paddocks who have been involved in the business over the years have shared a love and commitment to a strong news product and community service. Their personal integrity is reflected in the way their business is conducted. Stu Paddock Jr. was publisher from the late 1960s until his death in 2002. He was a great visionary and a great friend. Over the period of his leadership, he learned to hire people who would carry out his vision, and he gave them the professional space they needed to do so. His example was one I've tried to follow.Q: How would you say the Daily Herald affected the evolution of the suburbs over the past 40 years? In what ways are the suburbs what they are because of the Daily Herald?A: The Daily Herald both reflects and has helped shape the suburban community. It has helped local businesses build relationships with customers throughout the suburban areas we serve. It has influenced elections - it is often the only source readers can go to for information about candidates and issues. It has championed regional planning, strong educational systems, healthy park and recreational services, clean civic government.Q: How does the challenge facing the newspaper industry today compare with the newspaper wars the Daily Herald experienced in the '70s and '80s?A: The challenge is real, not only for newspapers but for all traditional forms of media. Newspapers have traditionally been the go-to place for local news, in-depth reporting and perspective. The staffs they hired to get this done were huge in comparison to the limited commitment of radio and television. Internet newspaper sites have become enormously popular, and the conversion to electronic delivery would be a natural -- except that Internet websites have not produced the revenue needed to support the large news operations that make newspapers unique. That is the central challenge.Q: What role do you foresee a newspaper like the Daily Herald playing in the continued growth and development of life in the Chicago suburbs? How do you assess the future of print journalism in general and the future of the Daily Herald specifically?A: I think electronic news delivery will continue to grow and print newspapers will shrink further but not disappear - unless they are unable to solve the revenue challenge.Q: You wanted to be a Russian correspondent. You ended up helping to define one of the most successful local-news publications in the country. Did something strike you along the way that affected your decision to change your focus? Were there rewards of leading a very local publication that you would not have expected or even known to think about when you were dreaming about a somewhat romantic career as a foreign correspondent in the Soviet Union?A: Change has been a challenging and exciting constant at Paddock. In the 1960s and '70s, it was competition from the metros and large weekly groups. In the 1980s, it was the geographic growth of the Daily Herald from Northwest Cook County into Lake, DuPage, Kane and McHenry counties. In the 1990s and early years of this century, in addition to reinvigorated competition with the downtown dailies, we faced the demands of transition in news delivery. Meanwhile, I did extensive traveling in the old Soviet Union and post-communist Russia; each time our editor was indulgent enough to publish my notes and photos. Through that exposure, I came to appreciate that the life of a correspondent, especially in Cold War Moscow, might be rewarding at times but could also be quite restrictive, often tedious, not filled every day with the romance a young college graduate anticipates.True20001305Dan Baumann, center, in 2002 examines one of the first editions to come off the new presses at the new Paddock Printing Center in Schaumburg with Doug Ray, left, and Robert Paddock Jr.Daily Herald file photo, 2002True