A rock and a hard place

There are no external forces that prevent successful intelligent independent media in Canada despite all the boo-hooing you hear on the left. All that's required is good writing and good business management.

by Kevin Potvin <kpotvin@republic-news.org>

The Republic finds itself in a lonely place. We are fated to never make friends with either side of the media divide.

On the one side are the large corporate chain operations. The purpose of The Republic project, as opposed to The Republic newspaper, is to prove that it is possible to generate independent media and that there is a reading market for it. We wish to prove it so that more people pick up the idea of generating their own independent media, ultimately leading to a society served by a maelstrom of competing intelligent independently thinking voices, which is what I think is required for the smooth functioning of democracy.

But too many small independent and successful newspapers means too much competition for advertising dollars for the large corporate chain operations. They are fated to never recognize nor acknowledge successful small fledgling independent media lest too many people get the idea it is possible to create it.

On the other side are pretend-independent operations that exist for the purpose of raising funds from donors triggered to supply those funds on hearing stories about how impossible it is to generate independent media. The funds are only available if these operations make a public display of victim-hood. They need to constantly remind everyone that it is too hard, given the state of corporate media, of tax laws, of ignorant society and of big mean businessmen, to create sustainable independent media. They are fated as much as the corporate media is to never recognize nor acknowledge successful small fledgling independent media lest anyone get the idea it is possible to create it.

So if someone comes along and actually creates successful small independent media, their very presence puts the lie to the plea of the pretend victims of corporate media, and also puts the fear into the managers of that corporate media. In both cases, a successful independent newspaper threatens sources of revenue for both sides of the media divide. It is best for all of them if no one actually succeeds in creating successful independent media, and best to ignore anyone who does.

No free paper in Vancouver enjoys the rate of pick-up that The Republic enjoys. Few could even comment on that since we are one of the only papers that conscientiously takes back from our drop points all un-picked-up copies and counts them. We also take note of the numbers of copies other papers leave in the same spots, and we note how many are still there when we return. Their advertisers ought to look for themselves.

About 95% of the papers we print are picked up and read. Readers anonymously make donations to help us along and, more importantly, encourage us. Because of a loyal and large readership, we can sell enough advertising to manage the overhead costs of the paper. The fact we don't quite do this is more a function of the job of selling ads and managing accounts than it is of finding markets to sell to. There is plenty of advertising revenue for us out there, if only we were more effective at going out to get it.

There is also plenty of subscription revenue for us to go get, if only we were more effective at going out to get it. It isn't for lack of reader interest or lack of advertiser support that The Republic struggles—as I must acknowledge that it does, even after four years. But we struggle for reasons internal to the business management of the paper, not because of any insurmountable external forces.

That is to say, for successful independent media to thrive in Canada, government help is not needed, nor is it necessary to beg from large private donors. All that is needed is quality writing that Canadians want to read, and quality business management. If efforts at independent media are struggling, it is only because they fail at one of these two critical factors. Solve both, and there is nothing standing in the way of successful independent media. There are no forces out there that can stop it. I will prove that this year by solving the second part of the riddle - instilling quality business management at the paper.

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