{"id":6275,"date":"2026-03-26T12:45:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/?p=6275"},"modified":"2026-03-26T13:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T17:04:09","slug":"the-betsie-current-still-flowing-15-years-in-print","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/the-betsie-current-still-flowing-15-years-in-print\/","title":{"rendered":"The Betsie Current, Still Flowing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

15 years in print<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Aubrey Ann Parker
Current Contributor<\/strong>

I am really bad at marking milestones, both personally and professionally. Slowing down enough to really savor something is so difficult for me, figuratively and literally\u2014yes, I am a fast eater, and I have been known to win a local eating contest or two. (Shout out to The Cabbage Shed; if you know, you know.)

But this one felt too big to miss out on.

The Betsie Current <\/em>is turning 15 in 2026, and in this age when the \u201cnews\u201d industry is evolving at breakneck speed, that feels momentous.

Nearly 70 percent of local news outlets in the United States are still newspapers, alongside television, radio, and digital-only news sources. However, in just the past two decades, close to 40 percent of all local newspapers in the United States have shuttered: there were close to 8,900 newspapers in 2005, but that number is down to 5,400, according to the annual \u201cState of Local News Project\u201d by Northwestern University\u2019s Medill School of Journalism<\/a>. (In contrast, there had been 24,000 U.S. newspapers during the early 20th century.)

The rate over the past two years has been the equivalent of around 2.5 newspapers closing every week\u2014148 either closed or merged in 2025 alone. Only 10 percent of those had been controlled by one of the largest companies; rather, most of last year\u2019s losses were smaller, independent chains and news outlets, much like ours.\u00a0

Currently, 212 counties throughout the country have no newspaper at all; that number was 150 in 2005. Moreover, 1,525 counties\u2014or close to half of all counties in the United States\u2014have only one news source, which means more than 50 million Americans have limited or no access to a reliable source of local news, living in what are called \u201cnews deserts.\u201d\u00a0

Notably, more than 300 \u201cstart-ups\u201d have been identified by Medill over the past five years; however, if they are digital-only, that means their news is accessible only to those with reliable and fast internet connections.\u00a0

Here in Michigan, the stats are much the same as the national picture; we have seen a 40 percent decrease in our newspapers over the past two decades, according to Detroit PBS<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>
\u00a0
Many newspapers have been sold to major chains\u2014MLive, Gannett, Media News Group, Hearst, and Boone, among the big ones\u2014which has significantly changed the media landscape in our Mitten State<\/a>, with many (formerly independent) papers now under the control of these large national chains, often resulting in reduced local coverage in some areas. Two counties in Michigan have no newspaper at all, while more than 35 counties are served by only one newspaper, often limiting the presence of independent alternatives.

\u201cLocal news is democracy\u2019s watchdog at the grassroots level,\u201d according to a video by Why It Matters.<\/a> \u201cWhen newspapers disappear, transparency plummets; municipal borrowing costs increase, because there\u2019s less oversight of tax spending; voter turnout drops in local elections by as much as 20 percent; corruption increases, because no one is watching City Hall.\u201d

The video continues:

\u201cBut this goes beyond politics. Local news creates community connection; it covers new business openings, school achievements, and neighbors helping neighbors. Without these stories, communities become collections of strangers, rather than connected neighborhoods. The void gets filled with what researchers call \u2018pink slime journalism\u2019\u2014low-quality, often partisan content\u2026 Economic development suffers, because businesses need local media to reach customers\u2026 When people can\u2019t find trustworthy local information, they either disengage completely or turn to unreliable sources that spread misinformation. When local news thrives, democracy thrives.\u201d

We could not agree more.

So for this first issue of our 15th season, we thought that we should dedicate the entire issue <\/a>to letting our readers in on a little \u201cbehind the scenes\u201d of what it is like to own and operate a newspaper in a small, very rural community.

For those of you who are frequent readers, it probably comes as no surprise that I co-own this small newspaper with Jordan Bates, my partner in love, life, business-, house- and dog-ownership.\u00a0

We publish 16 issues in a year: typically once a month from January through May, then every other week from Memorial Day through Labor Day (eight summer issues at that fast clip), then back to once a month from September through December. (Note: Up until 2020, we only published 12 issues a year; basically we took January through April off.)

The reason for less issues in the fall, winter, and spring when compared to summer is pretty simple: ad revenue.\u00a0

Since our paper is free to the public, it is paid for by ad sales.\u00a0

If you follow me and my antics at all\u2014politics, volunteering, coaching, serving on boards, creating\/promoting events, rescuing street dogs\u2014this should come as no surprise: in my heart of hearts, I\u2019m a community organizer. And what is more \u201ccommunity\u201d than a free local paper?!\u00a0

We want our stories and calendar of events to be accessible to everyone: that is also why we deliver to so many places.\u00a0

It would take me a fraction of the time to deliver (which is about 10 hours) if I only put papers out at the big hubs\u2014400 copies at the grocery stores and gas stations, only doing the \u201cbig\u201d towns and not the small ones, etc. Places with a lot of foot traffic. But I really and truly try to deliver to just about any business that is open to the public, even if that means I\u2019m only delivering five copies for the people who work in that office, because nobody else really goes in there. This means that I am delivering to anywhere from 150 to 250 businesses, depending on the season; some places are not open during the winter, for instance.\u00a0

I get the same question all the time: how do you make any money off of a free newspaper?\u00a0

Well, the truth is that we don\u2019t make a ton\u2014I like to say that we\u2019re not quite \u201cnonprofit journalism,\u201d but we\u2019re more like \u201cvery-little-profit.\u201d\u00a0

But it\u2019s fairly consistent, and I\u2019m grateful for that.

You can support us by picking up a hard copy, telling\u00a0an advertiser \u201cthank you,\u201d and following us on social media.\u00a0

Read more about how our newspaper operates in my 2025 essay: “The Betsie Current, <\/em>Still Flowing – Tap into your inner George Bailey.”<\/a>

Featured Photo Caption: <\/strong>Jacob Wheeler (left) and Jordan Bates back In April 2014, when we first re-launched The Betsie Current <\/em>newspaper. Photo by Aubrey Ann Parker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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