NEWSPAPER GROWTH … Forrest Church, publisher of The Village Reporter, told Archbold Rotarians how he became the publisher of what has become The Village Reporter at the club’s February 18 meeting. The program was arranged by Lou Levy.
Forrest Church recently told Archbold Rotarians that his path to eventually becoming the publisher of The Village Reporter actually began in 1992 when he was a student at Hilltop High School in West Unity.
He confessed that he was more into sports than studying, but was intrigued by a message written on a blackboard that said the local weekly newspaper was looking for a sports writer.
So, he followed up and was hired. That job piqued his interest in writing and his next step was to attend the University of Toledo with the intent to become a journalist.
There, a variety of interests began to compete — including fraternity life and a two-year diversion to study Christian ministry.
Well, what brought him back to journalism was a hometown opportunity at the weekly newspaper where he got his first start in writing.
That opportunity eventually led Church to buying the weekly newspaper from his former boss. Initially, he published a six-page weekly that primarily covered West Unity and Stryker. And, he acknowledged it was a struggle.
He explained how one thing led to another, with each struggling newspaper presenting a new opportunity.
He told Rotarians that he believed it was important for every community to have a newspaper that covered all of the events and news that meant something to the people who were a part of that community.
Eventually, the six-page Advance Reporter that primarily covered two communities became the full-color, generally at least 48-page weekly newspaper The Village Reporter that covers news from the Williams and Fulton County area, views and sports.
The paper comes out every Wednesday in print and online as well as daily updates on the paper’s website. Church told Rotarians that in 25 years he has never missed a deadline — even when he had to do his job from a hospital bed.
Aspects of The Village Reporter that he believes set it apart from other community newspapers include his belief that all sports at all schools in the two counties should receive equal coverage as well as other news topics covered on its pages.
He also felt strongly about the paper publishing free obituaries for families that have ties to Fulton and Williams counties. Over the years, he estimates that grieving families have saved around $4 million as a result.
Additionally, throughout the year the newspaper staff publishes special issues commemorating anniversaries, such as Fulton County’s 175th anniversary, or other milestones such as new babies.
Subscriptions and advertising are the newspaper’s lifeblood. For more information about those topics, visit the newspaper’s website: www.thevillagereporter.com.