Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 1990)
COMMUNITY Newspaper ignores politics, prints only good news By Wendy Fisher Emeiald Contributor Wouldn't it bn nice to have a newspaper with no religion or politics that prints just good news? That idea popped into l.ucky Colehour's mind three months ago as he sat fishing on a river bank. Hut Colehour didn't stop there. He started his own news paper based on that idea and ti tled it fust Good News. The newspaper is printed bi weekly. and its third free issue will hit area businesses and the University Dec. IS. In a front-page article of the second edition of lust Good News. Colehour explained win he created the newspaper. "It’s time for the Pollyannas to be heard, it's time for the rose-colored glasses to tint the world, it's time to return to the optimism that made this coun try what it is!" Colehour wrote. "Our media should be report ing the good things instead of the sensationally bad.” In the early i‘)80s. Colehour ran a cable television program, based in San Diego, called Good News. "We reported the news — the good news, the uplifting, inspiring items that never make the front page, but should.” he wrote. "I received hundreds of beautiful letters from all over the world, and I loved doing that show." Colehour later sold his por tion of the program and moved to Oregon to escape the pollu tion and overcrowding of San Diego. ‘Just Good News’ looks for upbeat story angles Colehour defined a lust Good .Yews story as anything uplift ing with no sox. drugs, vio lence, religion or politics Ho said his message to readers is. "Don't take anything too seri ously." The newspaper itself is rela tively simple The second edi tion was four pages long The print in lust Good News is larg er than most newspaper print, and along the bottom of the pa per is printed. "FOR KNTKR TAINMKNT ONLY Please Pass Me Along to a Friend and Make The stories in the Lane Coun ty edition ranged from intro ducing the Grand Theatre in Sutheriin. to a new family en tertainment center in Roseburg. to local Frisia^' golf organiza tions. journalism professor Carol Smith said lust (!ood News is not a new newspaper formula It is a community newspaper, which is the "lowest rung" of journalism The papers have al ways been around as bulletin boards for little towns, Smith said, adding that the only dif ference is lust Good News has a good-news spin. A sentence taken from a front-page story of the paper re fleets that community style "Vern and Phyllis own and op erate the Mini-Mart Cookie Thrift store on Stephens across from John Deere ." Smith said the newspaper "is an interesting concept but not well executed at present." and that right now it has novelty going for it. which will gel ad vertisers. l>ul tlir editorial It \ IS il.lfi Hut. she <i(ldod. "you've got to hand it to anybody who starts their own paper It takes guts." Cuts and $11,000. that is The cost of each edition of lust (Unit! .Veits i osts Colehour more than Sti.000 He sold $<1,000 in advertising but ended up losing $4,000 of his own money in the venture Colehour said he lost most of his advertisers for the third is sue and could not afford to print it hv its Nov 15 deadline lie expects to find enough ad vertistng to pav part of the bill by the I to 15 deadline Colehour's technique lor starting lust (,'ood .Veils was to hire people who had the equip men! he needed to run his newspaper He hired a secretar ial service to type the stories on computers, paid $15 an hour to have the newspaper typeset and sent it to Springfield News Publishing for printing just Hood .Veiis stall in eludes CIO freelance writers in Line and Douglas c ounties and three permanent staff members, although Colehour said he needs more writers to cover the Kugene area Colehour and a few others distributed the first 20.000 is sues throughout Lane and Douglas counties The second issue's c ire illation was 40.000. and Colehour said he plans to inc rease the third issue's emu lation to HO.000. and eventually RESERVIST^ Continued from Page 5 like th.it go and make these of fenses. it’s si ary to think we would appease him." Fuller said "And while 1 don't agree that America should lullv take the burden. I think the po tential for greater conflict is there Despite his misgivings Har ris said lie will fulfill his ohii gallon to the reserves. "If I refuse to go. they would just call up someone else who wouldn’t otherwise be sent." he said. "Also, us a non-commis sioned officer I feel some re sponsibility to those under me, to watch out for them and to bring them back in one piece if we are sent to the gulf In addition to packing their gear and saying good-byes. Fuller and Harris h a v e crammed finals and papers into the last days before they leave in hopes of earning some at a demit i redit in a term that was almost over In the time they were called up The University, in accord ance with policies provided by the state board of higher edut a 1 ~ BEST FISH & CHIPS IN TOWN Rose & Thistle 398 East 11th Ave Orders to go • 343-2244 CDs and TAPES Buy - Sell - Trade music Revolution 1217 Alder ssa. lion, permits students in the military reserves who are ( ailed to duty the option of withdraw Turn to RESERVISTS, Page 13 stabilize i mmlaticm <il HO.otioo copies dolehour's goal is to open Inst (UmhI iVew s m two or throe new i ities a month He said he plans to open the newspaper in Dallas. Tex. and San Diego. Calif next month (ailehour lie lieves once the newspaper goes national the advertising will pay off Colehour said he eventually wants to match USA Today's < in illation of more than one million readers, but he said so far money is an obstacle in reai hmi; that goal In his next issues, (ailehuur plans to i hange Ins format to itu hide news more spei itii to lame Counts in the Line (anm tv edition He said he also w.Hits to stihsi rilie to the Asso idated I’ress wire service, print mg mils its good new s (lolehour also plans to bring in columnists on sstne. cook ing. gardening, modern tei li linings and inedii me and to re introdm e Ins mi obituarv (illive and well) set tint) We ship your stuff home! S'' 1 to 1000 pounds, computers, stereos. TV’s Insured, custom packing 9”' Boxes for sale O' UPS. Emery. 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