Retiring chief of national press group looks at industry

Ray Carlsen, who has owned newspapers and later guided others in the profession, retired Friday as executive director of the Inland Press Association, an association of more than 1,100 daily and weekly newspapers from across the United States.

At 71, the Des Plaines resident has spent most of his life in some level of journalism. Now, he'll be replaced by interim Executive Director Catherine Scott of Mount Prospect, who has served the past eight years as Inland's operations director and chief of staff.

Here, Carlsen takes a look back ... and forward.

Q. How did you get into journalism?

A. My junior high school English teacher named me editor of the junior high school newspaper, which was just going "offset" and then appointed me to a similar post when I was in high school. I was a carrier for the Des Moines Tribune (an evening paper, now defunct) in my hometown of Newton, Iowa. Was a college newspaper journalist. The U.S. Army saw my experience and made me editor of the Fort Lee, Va., Traveller when I was serving as a lieutenant.

Q. What were some of your highlights of working in the profession?

A. The principal appeal of community journalism is the opportunity to serve the community with high ethical standards, creating a new product with every issue, and having a tremendous variety of experiences. The newspaper business is a fulfilling career.

Q. You've witnessed a lot in the profession over the years. What was it like when you started, compared to today?

A. When I began to own community newspapers in 1970, we first purchased a group of three rural weeklies that were in bankruptcy, due to their failure to plan adequately from the conversion from letterpress (hot metal) to offset (cold type). We acquired about 3,000 square feet of obsolete Linotypes, letterpresses, and other lead type equipment in the deal, selling most of it for junk as we moved to the computer typesetting age. Now, anyone with a home computer can put together a publication and likely find a cost effective means of printing it.

Q. How did you move into the position of executive director of Inland Press?

A. After selling my Pennsylvania newspapers, I became CEO of the Virginia Press Association in 1980. As a Midwesterner, I explored the Inland CEO job when it came open in 1986 and declined the offer twice before recognizing that it was the position I likely should accept.

Q. How many members does your organization have now, and how has that changed over the years?

A. In 1986, Inland had somewhat less than 400 newspaper members, that number reached a peak of 1,262 newspaper members in 2008, in all 50 states, Canada and Bermuda - but has declined to about 1,125 during the financial crunch of 2008-2009.

Q. How has technology affected the profession?

A. Significantly, even as I learned in my first purchase of a bankrupt newspaper company. Now productivity is greatly enhanced. Quality is improved. Research is much more efficient. Newspaper archives can be utilized more easily. Color is a regular feature.

Q. What trends do you see happening now with the recession's impact on newspapers?

A. In a way, the financial crisis is moving the newspaper business back to its roots as an important local institution. The largest papers and most highly leveraged and publicly traded newspaper groups are feeling the financial pain the most. In fact, newspapers are now being returned to some local ownerships by centralized groups. I think locally-owned newspapers are the best for virtually every community, particularly when they're run by publishers and editors with a good grasp of their stewardship obligations.

Q. Do you think community newspapers are doing better than the metros during this recent downturn?

A. No doubt.

Q. Why?

A. In most cases, it's true that community newspapers are doing better. The bigger metro-type papers are being exploited more by corporate owners and leveraging that gets them into trouble. It's due to greed. The bigger papers are also bigger targets. ... The bigger papers react by cutting, mostly because they want to please stockholders. They don't have the nimbleness to act and respond that community papers have. Community papers care more about the community and can respond more quickly.

Q. How have you tried to help?

A. Inland does many things to help, in fact is likely the best at providing operational assistance to participating newspapers through cost effective training, more and more using webinars, and the industry standard finance and compensation benchmarking surveys and much more.

Q. What do you see as the future of newspapers?

A. I believe there is no realistic alternative on the horizon for the collection and dissemination of local news that works better than local newspapers. Newspapers also have the existing infrastructure to provide advertising services. They also have the knowledge and capacity to provide this news and advertising on a variety of platforms - not just the printed page. News and advertising will be needed. And as the alternatives of delivery - online, etc. - become more varied, the printed page is increasingly conspicuous as the most broadly distributed local source consolidating the news and advertising services.

Q. And what will you be doing in retirement?

A. I've been asked to continue to lead Inland's international study mission program, which presently will include a March 2010 trip to the interior of Sarawak, Borneo, and an August trip on the Danube from Budapest. I'll also be enjoying a new freedom to serve not only my newspaper friends, likely on a pro bono basis, but also my community.