Cranks My Tractor

The Lastest Word - March 21, 2013

This is "The Lastest Word's" third week, I am continuing to select a few of the issues folks have in my local paper and trying to help them. On Saturday and Wednesday, my local paper has "The Last Word." On Thursdays, I will respond to my neighbors and get in“The Lastest Word.”

I'm just "The Tractor Guy" taking a “Dear Abby” approach; I have decided I like the way the Dear Abby helmet looks on my head. I will continue with my normal stories and columns that appear in newspapers and magazines in the Deep South, Ohio and the Denver Airport.

And make no mistake, I love my local paper.  I'm not associated with the paper, I'm just The Tractor Guy.

The Lastest Word - March 14, 2013

As noted last week, I am going to select a few of the issues folks have in my local paper and try to help them. On Saturday and Wednesday, my local paper has "The Last Word." On Thursdays, I will respond to my neighbors and get in“The Lastest Word.”

Think of it as a “Dear Abby” approach; I’m just “The Tractor Guy” who wants to help (and see what it feels like to wear a Dear Abby helmet). I will continue with my normal stories and columns that appear in newspapers and magazines in the Land of Cotton.

And make no mistake, I love my local paper.  I'm not associated with the paper, I'm just The Tractor Guy.

The Lastest Word - March 7, 2013

Growing up in a newspaper helped me to understand a lot of things about the business. I understood the “Power of the Press,” and how it could be used and abused. Most importantly, I learned what people enjoyed about the newspaper and what they depended on.

The main thing subscribers expected was that the newspaper would be delivered every day. It was like the whistle at the mill telling folks when to start and stop.

Over the past few years, we have seen the delivery of news change in so many ways. The internet and mobile devices threaten to make the newspaper obsolete. Many newspapers are going to online versions only or just giving up.

My local newspaper in Virginia is published twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. It is a very successful newspaper based on looking at the advertisements, inserts and what I perceive to be a strong readership.