Today is the last issue of the Carroll County Comet. Yes, you are holding the very last issue. We have made the decision to close the business and retire.
They say all good things must come to an end. We would say there is a lot of truth in that statement. We’ve both wrestled with this decision, but it’s time and we both know it. Know the decision was not made hastily or without a great deal of forethought. Ideally, we would have liked to sell the business, but in the present business climate, newspapers are not a hot commodity. We’re not sure if that was an option, if we could be satisfied you, our readers and advertisers, would be well served.
This business goes back 185 years to 1837. The Comet’s predecessors include the Delphi Journal, the Delphi Citizen, and the Hoosier Democrat in Flora. The Moss family has been involved in the newspaper business in Carroll County for over 100 years and we are the fourth generation to do so. Our parents combined those newspapers into one county newspaper, the Carroll County Comet, with the first issue on Feb. 6, 1974 (Joe’s 16th birthday). Yes, the Comet is just shy of 50 years old. Hard to believe. We’ve put out a product 52 weeks a year for all of those years, often taking no vacations and working on holidays.
Financially, it’s difficult in today’s world to put out a newspaper. A newspaper’s main source of revenue is from advertising sales. Unfortunately, advertising losses to the Internet have been significant for newspapers, this one included. Other contributing factors are all of the price increases, from postage to printing and everything in between. We hear from customers, “Well raise your prices.” But we know our market and we know our market has the same issues we do and continually raising prices is not the answer. Just so you know, since 2005, 2,900 local newspapers have closed in the United States; an average of 2.5 per week in 2023, up from 2 per week the year before. The statistics are from “The State of Local News Project” report, issued in November by the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. The report also indicated the U.S. is on pace to lose one-third of all its newspapers by the end of 2024.
We do worry how our closing will affect the communities we serve. It has always been our goal to report the news of our communities accurately and fairly, advancing the free flow of information, along with opinion, and providing a place to sell goods and offer services. We’ve always believed a community is better with an informed citizenry. Now, our readers are going to have to find new ways to learn what their government is doing and it may involve attending meetings or going to websites and reading the minutes from the meetings or if the meetings are live-streamed or recorded, watching them.
We want you to know, in an effort to promote transparency in local governments, Indiana passed a law, HEA 1167, requiring all government meetings in Indiana to be live-streamed or recorded. The problem is the law does not go into effect until July 1, 2025. The law applies to state agencies, counties, cities, towns, townships and school boards, any governing body that conducts regular meetings. It requires the agency to live stream its meetings and archive a copy of the meeting’s recording. The law states the public will be able to inspect, copy/download the meeting without charge. A few government agencies in this county already do that, but most do not. You might encourage those that do not to step it up and do so now and not wait for the law to take effect.
In closing, there are people to thank.
First, our advertisers. Without you, there would not have been a newspaper to publish. You believed in the value of local journalism and supported the Comet with your advertising dollars. We appreciate your business more than we can express.
Our staff. We’ve had some of the most loyal employees an employer could ask for. They believed in the mission of a community newspaper and watchdog reporting and did everything in their power to help us put out a quality product. They were dedicated, worked hard and stayed late, also giving up personal time to cover meetings and special events, working nights and weekends, not necessarily because they were paid to, but because they cared.
Our families. We sometimes missed family birthdays, programs and ballgames and schedules had to be re-arranged, but you understood our commitment to community journalism and gave us a pass. We leaned on you for support. We love you for it.
Our last and most important thank you, our readers. You were our motivation. We feel privileged that you brought us into your homes and made us a part of your lives. We have loved sharing your stories and making them a part of Carroll County’s history.
As we look back, we have shared together so many significant events, creating the history of our county. It has truly been our honor to serve you. And we’ll say one last time…. Thank you for reading the Comet.
Susan Moss Scholl
Joe Moss
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