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Abrupt Closure of Huron Plainsman Raises Concerns
To the Editor: The recent, abrupt – and shocking – closure of the Huron Plainsman by its out of state owners came as both a jolt and a source of serious alarm to me. The loss of any local business is a concern but newspapers are in a totally different category. They provide a wide range of public service: to advertisers trying to reach their customers, to cultural organizations getting the message out about upcoming events, to governmental individuals and agencies communicating developments and decisions, etc. – the list could go on. These are important functions that impact directly the quality of life in a community and in a real sense its viability.
There is of course much we do not know about how this action came about but what we do know is troubling. There apparently was no advance warning to employees, management and most importantly the community. The fact that the future of these important functions should rest solely with some out of state corporate executive who has absolutely no “skin in the game” is nothing short to frightening.
All this raises the question as to whether some major changes are necessary in the business model governing community news distribution. Similar questions can and have been raised about the financing of rural health care – a challenge I do know something about.
Those of us who rely on such services need to give serious thought to the protection of these services. I don’t have any quick answer but I am more and more concerned that current structures are not sufficient.
Respectfully,
Tom Dean, MD
Wessington Springs, SD