In an age when even the largest news organizations aren’t safe from employee cuts, one newspaper owner has been keeping local news alive in Akron, N.Y., for nearly 50 years.
Marilyn Kasperek started the Akron Bugle in 1981 with her husband, Ken, who died three years ago.
Even years later, there’s a motivation to spin her craft in what would otherwise be a news desert, Kasperek said.
“The students and the leadership changes, but the need to tell their stories about what they're doing, what they're accomplishing, what needs are — that has stayed consistent throughout the whole 45 years, and it's really why we keep doing what we do,” she said.
Akron might look like an idyllic town on the surface, but there’s plenty of news to be had, and an audience that needs sustenance, Kasperek said. The Bugle often is the only way residents find out what happens in village board meetings.
Sacrifices are made, but it often doesn’t feel that way, she added.
“I just love what I do, so it's hard to take a vacation from what you love to do, and I love my community," Kasperek said. "I think it's unique. I am grateful to God that this is where I got plunked.”
The Bugle runs a circulation of about 1,500. Kasperek labels papers herself on Wednesday mornings with the help of a friend, before they drop them off at the post office for delivery.
It takes time to build the level of trust the Bugle has accrued over its history, Newstead Town Supervisor Dawn Izydorcsak said.
“We know that they want to get the information and the right information out to the community," she said. "So if they have to ask the tough questions to do that, then that's fine, and we respect that. But they've always been extremely fair in their reporting.”
While Kasperek is the paper’s only full-time staff, she’s working to pass knowledge to the next generation. Her grandson often handles photography and helps with page layout.
Another factor is the addition of Annie Santor, who worked as a summer intern before returning to college at Brockport. Writing articles every day provided valuable hands-on experience, Santor said.
“When you're in the classroom, you kind of know the outcome of whatever is happening. Where in journalism, everything is so unpredictable, which is what I kind of love about it," she said. "You're not going to wake up every day and do the same thing.”
Santor has also learned about more than journalism along the way, whether that’s attending media day for high school sports or the inner workings of city government.
The evolution of print journalism might be homing in on the local stories and not worrying about what’s outside the region, Kasperek said.
“In New York State, particularly, community newspapers are strong, and they're doing good things in their communities across the state," she said. "I get the privilege of hearing those stories because I serve on the New York Press Association Board of Directors.”
While Santor only spent a few months with the Bugle, it might already have swayed her goals for the future.
“To be that source of the truth for them is really important," she said. "I know in my career, I think I want to use my voice to bring awareness to the Akron Bugles of the world.”
