Skagway News is thriving online after being sold at start of pandemic; mayor says 'the professionalism is back'

Skagway, Alaska (Wikipedia map)

A year ago, Columbia Journalism Review recounted how the new owners of the Skagway News were struggling to keep the rural Alaskan news outlet afloat during the pandemic. According to a new update? They're doing great.

The odds were stacked against former teachers Melinda Munson and Gretchen Wehmhoff when they took over the twice-monthly publication. They were new in town and didn't know the community, and the pandemic shutdowns were about to begin (killing advertising revenue from local businesses that relied on cruise ship tourists). But the newspaper is thriving these days, Fiona Skaggs reports for Northwestern University's Medill Local News Initiative.

"Since taking over in March 2020, the pair have fully digitized the paper, introduced subscription renewals by email instead of postcard and provided PDFs for readers online. Plans to install a paywall are on hold during the pandemic, but still on the agenda," Skaggs reports. "Other changes include live-streaming Assembly meetings for those uncomfortable attending in person, increasing coverage of the Skagway Traditional Council and other native Alaskans in the community and adding an alternating editors’ column. In a town where internet access is not a given, the pair decided to display a home-printed copy of the paper in the windows of a bookstore on the first floor of the newspaper office for passersby. Munson personally delivered printed copies to seniors who had no other way to obtain it."

Community support for the paper and its owners is high. "The professionalism of the paper is back," Mayor Andrew Cremata said. "It’s focused locally, which is what it should be. If there’s a basketball game that’s important, that’s covered. If there’s an Assembly item that’s important, that gets covered."

The paper's transformation fascinated filmmaker and former Skagway resident Stan Bush, who was a reporter for the paper while in high school. "His documentary, 'The Last Front Page,' aims to show Skagway as it navigates the depths of the pandemic through to recovery. Filming began in September 2020, and production is set to wrap in July 2022."