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Sunday, April 1. 2007
West Chicago Press Loses Local Coverage
This interview was neither requested nor prearranged... serendipitous... the product of running into the Senator as he strolled along Arbor Avenue near its intersection with Washington Street. It was only by chance that I noticed the Senator but it was passion and anger that brought him to my side of the street and taught me what arm twisting was all about
This article is brought to you courtesy of a kind grant from the Jimmy Hendrix Foundation, a group dedicated to preserving the memory of alleged dead rockers.
| Sen. Fawghourne: | Hey! Bob! Got a second? |
| WegoWeb | For you, Senator, I always have a second... or an hour. |
| Sen. Fawghourne: | What's with the Press. I remember when it was a true local banner. It had an office in that building right there and a history of a hundred years of service to the citizens of West Chicago. Now it's a little bitty part of GateHouse Media Inc... and even their last truly West Chicago reporter isn't there. |
| WegoWeb | Yes, Merle is no longer doing her "At Home in West Chicago" column anymore. I understand they were going to cut her pay by 47% and she "just said no." I don't blame her. I presume they will go the Daily Herald route... hire some kid just out of school that knows nothing about the town and if he/she proves any good, transfer him/her to the Naperville beat. |
| Sen. Fawghourne: | You seem to be accepting this very calmly. It's an outrage. Where will local businesses advertise. TV is expensive ... and even on cable where it is targeted, it takes a lot of channels for your message to be seen. The Tribune and Herald can sell you a region... but not target a single town. The radio stations are now all, at least, regional. The local businessmen will have no place. Who is going to tell folks what community activities are coming up? It's already hard for the local clubs, schools, churches and governments to get good PR. I'm with the founders of the country... a free press is important. |
| WegoWeb | Well, some of us are trying to get funding together to keep Merl's column going. That's the most important thing. It tells the folks what is coming up and mentions some of the good things that happen in town. I appreciate the newsletters from the schools, the firemen, and the city, but they come monthly or quarterly. They are not a substitute for a weekly or daily paper. |
| Sen. Fawghourne: | Tell me more about this. What are you doing to keep Merle going. |
| WegoWeb | Well, I donated money to replace her pay for a couple weeks... from WegoWeb. There are other organizations that are looking in to doing the same. Think of it as like PBS... user supported journalism. Hopefully, next week, somebody else will step to the plate and help out also. |
| Sen. Fawghourne: | What would it cost me to contribute a week? |
| WegoWeb | Well, $75 to Merle Burleigh would fund a week. It would appear at wegoweb.net and the city website. |
| Sen. Fawghourne: | Just send her the check? |
| WegoWeb | Yep. Merle Burleigh at 366 Arbor Ave., WC IL 60185 ... but call her at 231-8472 to tell her what you are doing. We'll put a nifty neat thank you to your organization or business at the bottom. |
| Sen. Fawghourne: | Will imaginary dollars work? |
| WegoWeb | Only for paying imaginary bills. |
| Sen. Fawghourne: | Hmmm? I guess I better go haunt somebody and scare them into sending real dollars. Bye |
| WegoWeb | Bye, Senator. |
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