[0:15] Hello and welcome back to another [0:18] conversation in South St. Paul. My name [0:21] is Jimmy Francis, the mayor of South St. [0:23] Paul, and today I've got the voice of [0:25] St. Paul and the voice of South St. [0:27] Paul, the uh Spitzac boys, the family of [0:33] Spitzac, who are the um publisher, [0:35] editor, and publisher is Tim, and Jake [0:37] is the media and marketing manager. So, [0:39] welcome to the podcast. [0:40] >> Thank you. [0:41] >> Thank you. [0:42] >> A lot of people know your stuff. They [0:43] read your writings, but we really don't [0:45] know a lot about you. So, I always like [0:47] to start these off with a little couple [0:49] of questions, like we'll start with you, [0:50] Jake. What's on your radio? What are you [0:54] listening to? uh if you're jamming out [0:57] on something. [0:57] >> I do like a lot of different things. Um [1:00] one that kind of always sticks around is [1:03] Jack Johnson. So, [1:05] >> it's nice and relaxing and able to kind [1:08] of bring me down whatever mood I'm in [1:11] and just kind of ground me. So, [1:13] >> kind of old school, too. [1:14] >> Yep. He's been going for a long time, [1:16] but yeah. [1:17] >> Right on. [1:18] >> Yep. How about you? [1:18] >> I know you like that, too. So, hopefully [1:20] I didn't steal your answer. [1:22] >> You guys are similar. [1:23] >> Yep. similar taste of music. Uh I do [1:26] Christian radio, too. So listen to that. [1:28] And [1:29] >> yeah, [1:31] >> doing doing the Christmas music right [1:33] now, too. So [1:34] >> now, is that on Do you guys Is that a [1:36] podcast? Is that a [1:38] >> I pretty much do [1:39] >> Pool 108 or [1:41] >> on the radio? [1:42] >> I do Pandora Radio. [1:43] >> Pandora. Okay. [1:43] >> I know what Jake does. [1:45] >> Spotify on my side. Yeah. Yeah. [1:47] >> Yeah. That's great. How about uh sports [1:50] team? What's your favorite sports team? [1:52] Vikings sadly this year. Yep. [1:56] >> You're both Vikings. [1:56] >> Yep. Viking fans. Y [2:00] >> Yeah. I'm not huge into it, but I like [2:03] to sit down and watch the game and just [2:05] spend time with family. So, [2:07] >> yeah. Sundays, good stuff. Maybe a [2:10] Thursday or a Monday night. [2:12] >> Exciting. [2:13] >> I'm a college wrestling fan, too. So, [2:15] Oh, yeah. [2:16] >> Follow the Gophers. And [2:18] >> Yeah, that's good. [2:20] >> Yeah. Sports are sports are fun. How [2:22] about um if you uh are anywhere you get [2:27] to choose, you got the destination, [2:28] you're doing everybody else gets it. [2:30] What is What are you choosing to do with [2:32] your free time? [2:34] >> It's always an out outdoor activity. [2:36] Yeah. [2:36] >> Yeah. Whether it's kayaking or hiking or [2:40] >> Okay. Snowfall down. Get out the cross [2:42] country skis pretty quick here. [2:44] >> All right. Yeah. you've he's currently [2:47] kayaking the entirety of the what is it [2:51] >> Mississippi just in the portion of our [2:52] state here so waters down to the border [2:56] yeah [2:56] >> have you [2:56] >> taken about 100 mile trips each summer [3:00] >> yeah cool I have a book for you then my [3:02] friend wrote a book he kayaked the whole [3:04] thing all the way down okay [3:06] >> and uh he did the same thing in [3:08] multi-year trips in sections and uh [3:11] >> it's a nice way to do it [3:12] >> yeah and really uh kind of a romantic [3:15] idea [3:16] >> to go do that and then then you know [3:19] learn about all the people and the [3:21] things you you learn around the river [3:22] and that Mississippi has got some [3:25] >> great stories to tell. [3:26] >> So even from this I mean in our state. [3:28] >> Sure. Yeah. A lot of history, a lot of [3:30] culture. Yeah. [3:31] >> Yeah. For sure. [3:33] >> How about you? [3:33] >> You'll find me on the disc golf course. [3:35] >> Disc golf. All right. [3:37] >> Even in the winter I'll brave it a [3:39] couple times and bundle up and get out [3:41] there. So definitely an avid disc [3:44] golfer. Haven't played any tournaments [3:47] or anything, but I think I probably [3:49] could if I wanted to. So, [3:51] >> and the barrier of entry for that game [3:53] is pretty low. You buy a couple of [3:55] discs, you pay a fee to go on some of [3:57] the courses or a pass to go on all of [3:59] them, right? [3:59] >> Mhm. Yep. Yep. Like Caposia is like $40 [4:03] a year or something like that. So [4:05] definitely pretty easy and it's cheap [4:08] entry and then you know you can get [4:09] obsessed with it and then buy a bunch of [4:12] discs. So [4:13] >> or find a bunch along the way. [4:16] >> Fun. [4:16] >> Yeah. [4:17] >> Yeah. I think this year I've lost about [4:18] as many as I found. So I'm breaking [4:20] even. [4:22] >> I found someone's disc once. [4:25] >> Totally not even close to a disc golf [4:27] course. Okay. [4:28] >> I'm sure someone was throwing it for [4:29] their dog and it got lost and you know [4:32] or somebody found it somewhere and put [4:33] it. So I called the guy back and he was [4:35] like, "Whoa, man." [4:36] >> Cuz you the names are on the back, you [4:38] know, and he said, "If you bring it up [4:40] to the place, I'll pick it up there." [4:41] And they give you a karma card. I don't [4:42] know if they still do that, but that's [4:44] the good karma comes to you for [4:46] returning someone else's disc. [4:48] >> So I thought that was pretty cool. And [4:50] >> find it in a ditch and bring it back to [4:52] Caposia Park. And [4:54] >> two years ago, the guy lost it [4:55] somewhere, you know? So, [4:56] >> you can be really appreciative of it [4:58] sometimes, like you lose a disc that you [5:00] really like and you hope somebody calls [5:03] it back. So, [5:04] >> that's pretty awesome. So, where do you [5:06] guys where did you grow up, Tim? [5:09] >> I grew up kind of all over the upper [5:11] Midwest. So, my dad was a Lutheran [5:13] minister. He went into the ministry when [5:15] I was 5 years old. So, went to the [5:18] seminary. So, we moved to Illinois, we [5:21] moved to North Dakota, and we moved to [5:23] Iowa. Okay. Okay. And I came up uh to [5:26] the Twin Cities area. They were from [5:27] Minnesota, so kind of Minnesota was [5:29] always home. And I came up to University [5:32] of Wisconsin for college. So that's how [5:34] I got back in the Twin Cities area. [5:36] >> Okay. [5:37] >> After college. [5:37] >> Yeah. And then and then how did you get [5:39] into journalism or how did you get into [5:42] >> I had a journalism degree through WER [5:44] Falls. Uh dual major journalism and [5:46] sociology which is a nice mix that you [5:48] know with in journalism you got to [5:50] understand people and the sociology [5:52] component really helped me do that and [5:55] then uh just got into it right after [5:57] college. [5:58] >> Okay. [5:58] >> Had an aptitude for English. So and when [6:01] I was in high school English were my [6:03] favorite courses and decided to pursue [6:06] journalism because of that. So, how did [6:08] The Voice start? What's the origin story [6:12] of South, [6:15] but yeah. [6:16] >> Yeah. Right. [6:17] >> He's been with us 5 years now. So, [6:19] >> Okay. [6:19] >> Um, so it started as a community [6:21] newspaper on St. Paul's West Side. [6:23] >> Mhm. [6:24] >> And it was called the Westside Voice at [6:25] that point. [6:26] >> 1966. Yeah. [6:28] >> Yep. [6:29] And uh then it was run by a nonprofit [6:33] group and then it eventually expanded [6:36] into West St. Paul in Modota Heights [6:38] area and then uh previous owners took it [6:41] over. They ran it for I think four or [6:44] five years and then I bought it from [6:46] them in 97. [6:48] >> 1997. Yeah. [6:49] >> Wow. That long. [6:50] >> Yeah. [6:51] >> The Voice has been here that long. [6:53] >> Yeah. Well, The Voice has been in around [6:55] since 1966. And then we started the [6:57] South St. Paul Voice. What are we at? 22 [7:00] 22 years now for the South St. Paul [7:01] version. [7:02] >> Mhm. [7:03] >> That's amazing. [7:04] >> Yeah. The previous owners and myself, we [7:06] started our downtown edition together. [7:08] >> Okay. [7:09] >> And then the first project I did after I [7:11] bought it was start Lavos Latina, which [7:13] is a [7:14] >> Spanish language newspaper and that's [7:16] because the West Side is [7:19] >> you're aware is a oldest Latino [7:21] neighborhood of the Twin Cities. So [7:23] >> yeah. [7:24] >> Yeah. That's great. adapting and you [7:26] know again bringing that to the public [7:28] right the the same news just uh in a [7:30] different so uh so you're marketing and [7:33] you're a writer for them you've read [7:36] your articles so what how did you start [7:38] into it got to get into the family [7:40] business [7:41] >> yep um you know writing is definitely [7:44] kind of always been my forte as well um [7:47] wasn't really pressured to join the [7:49] business uh growing up actually [7:51] originally went to school uh North [7:54] Dakota State university for [7:55] architecture. [7:56] >> Uh quickly switched over to journalism [7:59] though and then um yep joined in uh [8:02] 2021. [8:04] Um and you know I've just learned so [8:08] much from my dad in the past five years [8:10] um just about reporting as well as the [8:14] industry overall and um the ins and outs [8:18] of running the business as well. So [8:20] really come to just, you know, love [8:23] local news and just really honestly [8:26] thankful for the opportunity to um, you [8:29] know, provide this service for the [8:31] community. So [8:32] >> yeah, [8:33] >> well, we're thankful. [8:34] >> It's a great fit. You know, I'm somebody [8:36] who really values transparency and doing [8:39] work that's kind of bigger than myself. [8:41] So it's a really good fit for me. [8:43] >> That's awesome. And we're thankful that [8:45] that you're here, that you're able to be [8:47] in our community and put that out [8:48] because we don't have we have Town [8:50] Square Television. We have the voice. [8:51] That's our news. That's about us, about [8:53] the surrounding area. Mhm. [8:55] >> Um, and if not for you and your love of [8:58] it and the the reasons you're still in [9:00] the business, which maybe you want to [9:02] share about the some es and flows of how [9:05] that the digital media has happened, but [9:07] you know, really we're grateful that we [9:09] are able to have it [9:11] >> for our senior population that isn't [9:13] online [9:14] >> and for for those that, you know, [9:17] wouldn't might not might not hear about [9:19] it if not for being in that paper [9:21] because they're not plugged in. Their [9:22] kids are gone. They're just they're [9:24] doing their thing, right? [9:26] >> Yeah. [9:26] >> So, yeah, you've had some challenges [9:28] obviously. You know, what what is the [9:29] biggest challenge right now for you in [9:31] newspaper reporting? [9:33] >> You know, I think it's number one, it's [9:35] a perception that nobody reads anymore, [9:37] which just isn't true because we get a [9:39] lot of great feedback from what we do [9:41] each month, thank thankfully. [9:43] >> But, uh, you know, there's so many [9:45] different ways that people consume media [9:47] these days and, uh, so that's really [9:49] affected us. And of course newspapers uh [9:53] we're supported by advertising and a [9:56] free committee newspaper like ours is [9:57] 100% [9:59] >> supported by advertising. Yeah, we have [10:01] a small subscription base but that's [10:03] like 1% of our less than 1% of our [10:05] revenue. So [10:06] >> right [10:07] >> and that's you know the tech giants have [10:10] done a good job with siphoning [10:14] >> siphoning advertising their direction [10:15] rather than many other places the [10:18] traditional media. Yeah. [10:19] >> So, but thankfully we've got a lot of [10:22] great uh clients yet. And [10:24] >> what we do is on the advertising end is, [10:27] you know, we're providing that service. [10:29] Most people get business within, you [10:32] know, that 3 to five mile radius. And [10:34] that's exactly the market that we cover [10:35] for these local businesses. So, [10:38] >> that keeps us successful because we help [10:40] them be successful through their [10:42] marketing. [10:42] >> And you have you have multiple avenues [10:45] or um papers. So that th that's diverse [10:50] there where you know people I don't want [10:52] to talk to those people in South St. [10:54] Paul. I want to talk to my people over [10:55] here on the west side and I want to talk [10:57] to them in Spanish [10:59] >> and vice versa. I suppose there's ones [11:01] that say no I want it everywhere. I [11:03] >> put my ad on all of them. How much for [11:05] all of it? So you're you're kind of the [11:07] conduit to more connections than just [11:09] the articles that you're writing. [11:11] >> Yeah. It's nice flexibility. Mhm. [11:14] >> And then in the past year, we've [11:15] established a we call it Mencom. It's a [11:18] coalition of uh there's four other [11:21] publishers. So, we faced this big [11:23] challenge last year. At the end of last [11:25] year, we we each use a independent [11:27] delivery service for our delivery [11:29] company. [11:30] >> And we abruptly found out that they were [11:32] closing. So, within a month, we had to [11:35] scramble and figure out what to do. So [11:37] we banded together and um actually ended [11:41] up working with a lot of the carriers [11:42] that [11:43] >> we're doing [11:44] >> with the former company. So now we've [11:46] all managed that together and kind of [11:48] coordinated that. So that's [11:50] >> So what's that look like? Tell tell us [11:52] about that because I mean again I see [11:54] your paper. [11:55] >> Mhm. [11:56] >> Sometimes it's delivered to my door, [11:58] sometimes it's I always get it at you [12:00] know Selfie 66, Nolan's all the regular [12:03] places here at city hall. But how does [12:05] it the how does it work? How does your [12:08] distribution work? [12:09] >> Yep. So we've got adult carriers and [12:11] they'll go doortodoor. So it's a free [12:13] distribution newspaper. So we pay a [12:15] company to hand deliver it to the [12:18] doorsteps. [12:18] >> Mhm. [12:20] >> In all of the communities, [12:22] >> right? Yeah. So Wow. [12:23] >> Yeah. [12:23] >> I think it's, you know, we definitely [12:26] fill a vital gap by doing that. you [12:28] know, there's, you know, there there are [12:31] a fair amount of other papers that do [12:33] that, but it's important to get news [12:35] out. You know, it's equal access for [12:37] everybody regardless of, you know, you [12:39] don't need to subscribe. You don't need [12:41] to be uh technologically savvy. You [12:45] know, this news is just going out to [12:46] everybody, you know, with our goal to [12:49] kind of uplift the entire community. So [12:53] I think we fill that gap. [12:55] >> And we just strictly it's hyper local. [12:57] So it's everything we put in our paper [12:59] just about the community that you're [13:01] living in. [13:02] >> Yeah, that's the big piece. [13:04] >> Yeah. And do you find or do you have [13:05] statistics that they read cover to [13:07] cover? [13:08] >> Y a little bit. Yeah. [13:10] >> Ongoing readership survey and um we've [13:14] gotten good feedback with that. um we've [13:16] really been pushing it probably the past [13:18] year or two and um the majority of [13:22] people who have responded read the full [13:24] paper and then there's a large chunk [13:26] that's like four to six articles. Um I [13:30] think there was only like 10 or 15% that [13:32] was headlines only. So the people who [13:34] are reading are reading the full thing [13:36] pretty much every time. So [13:37] >> you have high readership, high [13:39] engagement [13:40] >> what you the product that you put out. [13:42] >> Yeah. It's a small paper so it doesn't [13:43] take that long to read and really we've [13:46] got you know most month there's four [13:48] main articles that so when they say I [13:50] read four to six articles are they're [13:52] pretty much saying they read the whole [13:54] >> the whole paper. Sure. Yeah. [13:57] >> So how do you pick your the topics? How [14:00] do you pick what what you're going to [14:01] put in there in uh each of these papers? [14:04] >> Yeah, definitely the hyper local is the [14:06] big piece. you know, we have a big list [14:10] of leads that we kind of sift through [14:12] all the time. We try to have a good mix [14:14] of, you know, new business, city [14:17] government, obviously, economic [14:19] development, entertainment. Uh, we'll [14:21] sprinkle in some history and, um, some, [14:26] you know, somewhat investigative pieces [14:27] when we can, but big piece is just that [14:30] hyper local stuff. Um, [14:32] >> because you're writing a month ahead, [14:34] right? You're [14:35] >> so your December your December issue was [14:38] >> put together in November and so people [14:40] are listening and thinking about that. [14:42] You're you're trying to figure all that [14:44] out. So the live things, you know, [14:46] you're probably not catching a lot of [14:48] those maybe in the calendar [14:50] >> of events coming up, but you're really [14:52] trying to it's very difficult. I would [14:54] think that's what my point is. [14:56] >> It's tough to try to get to know what [14:58] should be done in December and November [15:00] and not miss something that's like ah [15:02] that would have been a great one. Yep. [15:06] >> We definitely try to do the best we can [15:09] with that. Mhm. [15:10] >> Do you do anything fun? Um I don't [15:12] recall in the Do you do a a an back last [15:15] year issue? Do you do you look back at [15:17] the year? Do you look ahead at the next [15:19] year? Do you do any kind of issues like [15:20] that? [15:21] >> Often we'll look ahead and or January [15:23] issue, right? And Jake's working on that [15:25] information right now. Mhm. [15:26] >> So you put ahead what's happening this [15:28] year 26 and [15:30] >> then we can kind of reference that and [15:33] be able to cover it more in depth later. [15:35] So [15:37] >> yeah we try to have some timely stuff [15:39] but we also really like to uh cover kind [15:42] of those hidden gems kind of like this [15:44] podcast you know just the things that [15:47] people might not otherwise learn about [15:49] like our most recent uh the December [15:51] issue we covered Michael Ball who he's a [15:54] South St. Paul resident. Uh he's an [15:57] artist and worked worked in downtown St. [16:00] Paul for a long time. He creates these [16:02] sculptures. They're like skeletons of [16:05] animals that uh didn't technically [16:07] exist, but they like he makes them so [16:10] that they would be anatomically [16:11] functional if they did. So, kind of just [16:14] one of those interesting [16:15] >> Yeah. [16:16] >> wrinkles in the fabric of the city that [16:18] you might not know about otherwise. So, [16:20] >> that guy lives here. [16:21] >> Mhm. Yep. [16:22] >> So cool. There's so many of those. The [16:24] cool thing is he came to our office in [16:26] the other day and he gave each of us [16:28] this little stone. What's the what's the [16:30] ancient writing that [16:32] >> form? Yeah. So, it's got the most [16:35] ancient writing on it and on the back it [16:37] tells what it is. It said [16:39] >> was it uh [16:41] >> read [16:41] >> read, learn, grow, right? Yeah. So, just [16:44] neat, you know, we got to meet him in [16:46] person, too. And then he gave that and [16:48] that just speaks to the community, I [16:49] think, the [16:50] >> the quality of people that live in these [16:52] areas. So [16:52] >> yeah, for sure. [16:54] >> We've we've got some of the greatest [16:56] here in South St. Paul, but I've moved [16:58] in Grove and they've moved to West St. [17:00] Paul and you know, so they've we've [17:02] expanded so to speak, but we all have [17:04] this we've had them all in here before, [17:05] the other mayors and [17:07] >> talking about the how we we work [17:09] together because of that similar to your [17:10] newspaper, right? We want to get the [17:12] word out about these stories that the [17:13] crossover [17:14] >> and it's important you know the when the [17:16] Y I remember reading about you guys did [17:18] the Y in the beginning you know a lot of [17:20] our residents were affected by it [17:22] because they were members up there so [17:24] >> you guys are a cross-section serving [17:26] cross-sectional cities um [17:29] >> so the role of the [17:32] >> today we've talked a little bit about [17:33] just hyper localal stuff [17:35] >> but where do you see that going forward [17:37] do you see you guys as you know [17:40] continuing solid as a newspaper. Do you [17:42] see you like expanding into a podcast or [17:44] into vlogs or anything like that as your [17:48] >> Yeah, we're pretty stubbornly print [17:50] >> print. Yeah, [17:51] >> we believe there's still a feature there [17:53] for it and [17:54] >> y and you know Jake can speak to a [17:57] little bit more but just the fact that [17:58] what [17:59] >> there's again there's so many ways [18:01] people can consume thing and they're [18:03] even overloaded when they're online. [18:06] >> Yeah. And this is just something they [18:07] can have at home. They can open up. It's [18:10] tangible. They can feel it. They can [18:12] read it. They can spend time with it. [18:13] They can engage with it. And you know, [18:17] there's enough people that want to like [18:19] step back and slow down a little bit, [18:21] too. You know, there's trending in that [18:23] direction. So, [18:24] >> isn't that great? [18:25] >> Yeah. [18:25] >> Yeah. I mean, yeah. I think if you sit [18:28] down for 15, 20 minutes with the paper, [18:31] you'll leave feeling more connected to [18:33] your community, more informed. you know, [18:36] it's it's a different experience than [18:39] reading article after article online or [18:42] letting the algorithm kind of choose [18:44] what shows up in your feed. Um, you [18:47] know, you just get that full experience. [18:48] And kind of once again, just going back [18:50] to the fact that this isn't information [18:52] that the algorithm is giving you or [18:55] you're actively seeking out. It's coming [18:58] to you um in a timely manner. So, [19:01] >> yeah. Yeah. I think one thing about the [19:04] nice thing about being a monthly is you [19:05] can really [19:06] >> kind of pick the hot the more important [19:09] topics and then we get a little more, [19:12] you know, investigative or [19:14] >> analytical about what we're writing [19:16] about. [19:17] >> Give a little more attention to those [19:18] those special ones or those important [19:20] topics. [19:21] >> So, you have four papers [19:23] >> that you you write for. [19:25] >> Um, you pull news from places. How can a [19:28] community member watching or listening [19:31] to this get involved? Are you looking [19:32] for community support? [19:35] >> Yeah, definitely. Um, you know, anybody [19:38] can feel free to send us leads um for [19:41] consideration. Obviously, we only have [19:43] so much space in the paper. Um, [19:45] sometimes we have to do a news brief, [19:48] you know, for certain things. Can't [19:50] always do a full article, but [19:52] >> we like like to have those small um, you [19:56] know, tidbits of information that kind [19:59] of make it more well-rounded. So, it [20:02] helps. And one thing that we're starting [20:04] with the voice is we're doing a student [20:06] section, uh, trying to get that going in [20:09] 2026. And, uh, we're going to be having [20:12] some students from Humbult High School [20:14] kind of put in some highlights of, uh, [20:17] stuff they're doing at the school. And [20:19] that's something that we'd like to do [20:21] with South St. Paul as well potentially [20:23] this year and, you know, be able to get [20:26] the perspective of students and what [20:28] they're doing. and we think uh our [20:30] readers would enjoy kind of getting a [20:32] little bit of information from them. So [20:34] >> yeah, [20:34] >> whether it's the students or just the [20:36] general public, definitely open to [20:39] getting leads from them and [20:41] >> and obviously they membership, they can [20:43] be members if they if they like what [20:45] they have the their membership helps you [20:47] at least in delivery, right? I mean the [20:49] support there is probably helping do [20:51] something like that. [20:52] >> That's been really encouraging over the [20:54] years, past few years because we like [20:56] every other newspaper has tried to [20:58] support more reader support. [21:00] >> Yeah. And you know the fact that we're [21:04] delivering our paper free so they don't [21:06] have to [21:08] >> pay us anything but they do you know [21:10] some people will still do a voluntary [21:12] contribution which is just [21:14] >> it's heartwarming that they'll do that [21:15] to support community journalism and [21:18] >> you know we think it [21:19] >> helps [21:20] >> increase the fabric of the community and [21:22] keep the community strong. So [21:24] >> that's right [21:24] >> super appreciative of that. [21:27] >> That's why we're having the conversation [21:28] in South St. Paul about it because we [21:30] appreciate it. We're with the Spitzacs. [21:32] They're they're here telling us about [21:34] their four newspapers in one of which [21:37] happens to be the South St. Paul Voice. [21:39] It started as the voice, right? It was [21:40] the West St. Paul Voice. [21:42] >> Yeah. [21:42] >> Or the West Side Voice, but it's always [21:44] been The Voice. [21:45] >> Right. Correct. [21:46] >> And what I like about uh your online [21:48] presence is you don't allow comments on [21:51] stuff. [21:52] >> Right. [21:53] >> Right. Yeah. Because to me that's that [21:55] really takes away from the journalist [21:58] the stories in the journalist. It it [22:00] makes everybody an expert and any [22:02] comment is out there is actually news or [22:05] is [22:06] >> the truth, right? So you you put out a [22:09] great product and you guys stand behind [22:12] it and it's it really is good journalism [22:14] because you you know you're you have [22:16] relationships where with the sources or [22:18] you're you're following the same thing [22:20] so you you write the same style about it [22:22] and and you're fair and balanced and all [22:24] those [22:25] >> important things. [22:26] >> We work hard at that. Yes. [22:27] >> Yeah. You know I I think you do. I mean [22:29] I from a reader's perspective you guys [22:32] do write a a good and fair and balanced [22:34] paper. [22:34] >> Yeah. Like I said, we try to, you know, [22:36] we're not afraid to touch on challenges [22:39] people are facing, but overall we try to [22:41] uplift and kind of glue the community [22:43] together. And um, you know, it can be [22:47] tough with just the two of us. And, uh, [22:49] so we do rely on, you know, watching [22:53] videos of city council meetings or phone [22:55] interviews. We'll have people submit [22:57] photos when we need to. Um, but you [23:01] know, yeah, once again, super [23:03] appreciative of anybody who donates or [23:06] subscribes. Uh, definitely helps us [23:08] maybe hire another writer in the future. [23:11] So, [23:12] >> um, and it again, like [23:15] there's a contrast with daily papers and [23:18] what we do, you know, like they a lot of [23:20] them kind of you can tell they aren't [23:22] quite as objective. They might lean one [23:24] way or another and we try to keep that [23:27] balance. So [23:28] >> you have the time to write those quality [23:30] articles [23:31] >> that are thoughtful in the words that [23:33] you use and the people that you [23:34] interview. [23:36] >> Yeah. And I think a lot of our stuff on [23:38] our website um you know if you're going [23:41] there reading a South St. Paul article, [23:43] there might be a West St. Paul thing [23:45] that you're interested in. So we try to [23:47] keep it clean and not have a bunch of [23:49] stuff popping up in your face uh [23:51] detracting from the reading experience. [23:53] So [23:54] >> yeah, exactly. That's been another [23:56] challenge in our field is you know I got [23:59] into journalism in the mid to late 80s [24:02] and I think that was kind of the [24:06] pinnacle of where it was where there was [24:09] the bias wasn't in journalism as it is [24:11] today and and sadly in the mainstream [24:13] media there's a lot of bias has creeped [24:16] into [24:18] reporting and you know we're just [24:20] adamant about not having that bias in [24:22] our articles. So, [24:24] >> we want to present the information and [24:26] let the people make their decisions [24:28] themselves. [24:29] >> Yeah. That we've gotten less and less [24:30] journalism degrees and more and more [24:33] marketing and digital creator degrees. [24:36] So, digital creators are a different [24:39] >> thing, but they're they've blended [24:41] together. Society has blended them [24:42] together so that you know and then the [24:45] AI with deep fakes and all those things, [24:47] they become you people start sharing [24:49] articles. Yeah, [24:50] >> I think we talked about it here on [24:51] another one where you'd where you we [24:53] used to get the email from auntie who [24:56] had the forward forward forward forward [24:58] forward forward forward forward forward [24:59] and then it said whatever it was and it [25:01] was these chain emails and you're like [25:02] oh stop sending those emails you know [25:05] now that's moved to Facebook social [25:06] media where they're they're sharing [25:08] these things that are totally fake and [25:10] they're like oh my goodness look at did [25:12] you see this you know [25:14] >> it's uh it's interesting how it you know [25:16] the consumption of it and the you know [25:18] where it's come from the 80s, right? The [25:21] beginning of the computers, they were [25:22] still doing two three-day or two-day [25:26] papers, right? Morning and afternoon [25:27] editions in a lot of cities. [25:29] >> And then that moved to just a daily [25:31] paper and then that moved to just a and [25:33] then that moved to just a and then [25:35] >> here we are today with [25:37] >> all consuming everything is all [25:39] consuming. You got to scroll doom scroll [25:42] and [25:43] >> then you got to share that and you feel [25:45] compelled that somebody cares about [25:47] that. Mhm. [25:48] >> There's uh I've seen some comedians too [25:50] where they talk about people who who [25:52] used to be in the 80s in their basement [25:53] talking to themselves. Now they're [25:56] interjecting on the internet to all of [25:58] us about things that are, you know, but [26:01] we would say stop that. [26:02] >> We we don't want to know what's going on [26:04] inside your head. Right. [26:05] >> Right. Exactly. Yeah. [26:06] >> Yeah. [26:07] >> Yeah. There's definitely, you know, some [26:09] benefits for sure. You know, AI can be [26:12] used in a lot of good ways. Social media [26:14] is great for, you know, quick [26:17] information and updates, but none of it [26:21] can even function without accurate, [26:23] verified news. So, [26:26] >> you know, we're always going to fill [26:27] that gap. [26:28] >> And I could see where AI for you guys [26:30] would work where you put it in there and [26:31] say, "What's the top five things [26:33] happening right now in this these zip [26:34] codes?" And it could regurgitate the tax [26:37] bill, the this, the that, the car [26:39] accident, whatever that whatever is out [26:40] there. and you can go, "Oh, I didn't. [26:42] Let's look at there's a there's a [26:43] section we can go and look up and then [26:45] you write the story and you get the [26:47] facts and you do the thing." [26:48] >> Yeah. So, I can see how that would be. [26:51] >> We're still trying to fine-tune how to [26:53] in integrate that kind of stuff because [26:55] >> we like to do it the oldfashioned way [26:58] pretty much, but [26:59] >> there's some opportunity out there. You [27:01] know, chat bots are the next thing, too, [27:03] where you can gather the information [27:04] from the your the people who are coming [27:06] to you already [27:07] >> and get get your FAQs figured out so [27:09] that you know, take what they're asking [27:11] on the FAQs and turn those back into [27:14] other things [27:15] >> where [27:16] >> um and it and with AI that they do it [27:19] automatically. You just put the plug in [27:20] the widget and it does it for you. [27:22] You're like, "Wow, look at that [27:23] information." [27:24] >> Yep. It's amazing, [27:26] >> isn't it? So, where do you see where do [27:28] you see the actual printing going? You [27:30] still going to print on paper? You going [27:32] to still print on the same kind of [27:33] paper, same machines, or how are those [27:36] machines getting more sophisticated? [27:38] >> That that's been steady throughout the [27:41] past few decades. Yeah. So, not much has [27:43] changed within the actual printing of [27:46] the paper. And again, we just want to we [27:49] want to continue to keep our printed [27:52] product home delivered. [27:54] >> Yeah, that's great. [27:57] >> There's value to that. Once again, just [27:59] sitting down, it's a way different [28:01] experience compared to scrolling [28:03] through, [28:05] you know, social media or even just [28:08] article by article online. So, [28:11] >> yeah, just did it myself getting the [28:14] tire changed. [28:15] >> I wasn't scrolling the phone. I was [28:16] looking at the voice because it was [28:18] right there. It's selfie 66, you know, [28:20] checking reading all the stuff. And [28:22] >> again, it's um [28:24] >> it's comfortable, [28:25] >> right? It's our it's our hometown stuff. [28:28] So, looking for the names in there that [28:30] you recognize and the accolades of of [28:32] that stuff and learning more about Bob [28:34] and or the artist creating all those [28:38] things. [28:39] >> That's that's the cool stuff [28:40] >> that you get out of it. [28:41] >> Yeah, [28:41] >> it's been really interesting. The nice [28:43] thing about our website and Jake's done [28:44] a great job with redesigning our [28:46] website. Um I was really kind of late to [28:50] the party with that because I had I I [28:52] again I'm stubbornly print and I want it [28:54] to be print. So, I knew we had to have a [28:57] website, which we did, but it wasn't [29:00] landing page. [29:00] >> Yeah. Yeah. But Jake's done a great job [29:02] with that. And like he said, a lot of [29:04] people are interested in what's going on [29:06] in the region, too, [29:08] >> right? [29:09] >> But with the website, we're able to get [29:12] a lot more reader feedback, easy reader [29:14] feedback, and we do this survey, and it [29:17] >> the top, [29:18] >> Pardon me, [29:18] >> I've taken it. [29:19] >> Yeah. So, the top three things that [29:21] people want are number one is [29:22] entertainment, which is interesting. M [29:25] >> people still need to, [29:28] >> you know, find that diversion for the [29:29] crazy world that we live in. [29:31] >> Mhm. [29:31] >> But then it's new businesses and then [29:34] ranked for third is both city government [29:36] and economic development. So it's it's [29:38] nice to see that people still are [29:40] engaged in what's going on with, you [29:42] know, want to know what's going on in [29:44] their city government, [29:45] >> right? Yeah. Again, our economic [29:47] development meetings, literally no one's [29:50] in the audience. [29:52] >> Yeah. So having you guys monitor and [29:56] watch that and see, oh that sounds like [29:57] a really cool thing and then take a take [30:00] a direction of that and again go back [30:02] and ask Ryan a question about it where [30:04] now it's a little more color commentary [30:06] on what the the actual plan is and the [30:08] timeline and that kind of stuff [30:10] >> that gets people excited about [30:13] >> things happening in town and and that's [30:14] really is again it's helpful for us but [30:16] it's also interesting, right? I mean [30:18] economic development is interesting. [30:20] >> Yeah. We've written about the gates, [30:23] right? [30:24] >> Once or twice this year. [30:26] >> Yeah. It's a reoccurring story, you [30:27] know, and it's all about economic [30:29] development, right? And that that story [30:31] behind it and [30:32] >> the history of it, there's there's a a [30:35] tale there, but the real [30:37] >> driver is the economic development of [30:39] what what is happening and why it's [30:41] happening. [30:41] >> Yeah. Really shaping the city, you know, [30:43] whether it's the gates or the Hardman [30:46] Triangle, you know, something new. So, [30:48] >> yeah. [30:49] >> Yeah. The Hardman Triangle. That's [30:50] that's one I think I've gotten from your [30:53] articles in there. People are excited [30:55] and asking me questions about [30:56] >> when's the pickle ball coming, [30:58] >> you know, [30:59] >> and it's things are slow. [31:03] >> Things take time. [31:04] >> Got to do it right. [31:05] >> They really they do. And it's I've been [31:07] here for 9 years [31:08] >> and I think back to the first two 17 and [31:11] 18 and the things that were just getting [31:13] done that you know Mayor Balman had done [31:17] in the you know championed and you know [31:19] brought to the table and got got done [31:20] and so we made sure that she was at the [31:23] ribbon cutings for those [31:25] >> and that you look at going forward it's [31:26] like man we it took us that long to get [31:28] the we started the Hardman triangle [31:30] conversation in [31:32] >> 17 and 18, [31:33] >> right? And that was that was the [31:36] >> my first stuff of things that were [31:38] happening in this timeline. So [31:41] >> when it comes to city government, [31:43] >> it does take a long time. It's not [31:44] glacial pace, [31:46] >> but it does take time. And economic [31:49] development sometimes can go really [31:50] quick where people are like boom, this [31:52] is it. We're going bam bing boom. And [31:54] other times it's like well this is a [31:56] challenging [31:58] >> spot. Sometimes the land is historical [32:00] structures kind of [32:02] >> where you want to build [32:04] >> and that and that's you know same with [32:06] the Hardman triangle like what [32:07] historically was there [32:08] >> and what what kinds of [32:11] >> things will we unearth when we do them [32:13] even after we've tested it nine times [32:16] you know drilled borrowing what we know [32:17] >> always something [32:18] >> there's something yeah it's always [32:19] something so [32:20] >> um I just I just bring that [32:22] >> kind of point back to your people's [32:24] interest in economic development on your [32:26] newspaper that's great Again, that's a [32:29] little window into things that they [32:32] didn't come to the meeting to learn [32:34] about. [32:34] >> I think back to when [32:37] 20 I'm going to have a conversation with [32:39] Mayor Balman soon on another episode of [32:41] conversations in South St. Paul, but you [32:44] know, thinking about back [32:47] when her dad was mayor in the newspapers [32:50] that were there. There was a few more [32:51] newspapers back in that time [32:53] >> and that's where you got the coverage [32:54] from. That's where people got their [32:57] their data, their real data. [33:00] >> And it it we've now it's it's real time. [33:02] They're watching it on they're watching [33:04] us [33:04] >> live stream, [33:05] >> right? [33:06] >> It's uh it's very interesting times that [33:08] we've come into [33:09] >> and I bet for you all in in reporting [33:11] and in the newspapers that that is also [33:13] the case. And it's always exciting and [33:15] still always exciting. [33:16] >> Always on the beat and the next story [33:18] and how do we what angle do we take? [33:20] >> Yep. [33:20] >> Yep. every day is a little bit different [33:22] and you know especially in South St. [33:25] Paul, I've met so many awesome just genu [33:28] genuine and down to earth people. So, [33:30] love being able to uh meet them and just [33:33] the fact that every day is different [33:35] keeps it fresh. So, cool. That's great. [33:37] >> So, we've talked a lot about a lot of [33:39] things. What haven't we talked about [33:42] that you want to make sure people know [33:43] about either your newspaper, about [33:45] yourselves, or about, you know, again, [33:48] maybe that a little bit more on that um [33:51] student journalism aspect of what you're [33:53] looking to do because [33:54] >> maybe someone's out there and has [33:56] somebody that's, you know, has a desire [33:58] to do something or stay connected with [34:00] you or help you. How what what's can we [34:02] leave the program sharing with people? [34:05] >> Yeah. We um I know people are kind of [34:10] torn a million different ways asking to [34:12] do surveys here and there, but we are uh [34:15] we recently started a community section [34:17] in the paper. Okay. Trivia, question of [34:20] the month, photo of the month. Uh people [34:22] can submit photos uh so we could print [34:25] one in the print edition. um just to [34:28] kind of give people that fun opportunity [34:30] to see their photo in the paper and um [34:34] ultimately just engage more with our [34:35] readers, learn what they want, uh just [34:38] so we can provide the best coverage we [34:40] can. Um so that's kind of something new [34:43] we've started. Might get some stickers [34:46] with QR codes up at local businesses to [34:48] kind of u push them to that community [34:51] web uh web page. We have uh the [34:54] community section's printed in the [34:55] paper, but we also have the website for [34:57] it. So, uh that's kind of something new [35:00] that we're starting. Um [35:02] >> that sounds fun. [35:03] >> Mhm. [35:03] >> You know, kind of old school throwback, [35:05] you know, [35:06] >> can you put a happy birthday to somebody [35:08] in the paper or you know, something like [35:09] that. I don't know if that's part of [35:11] that, but that's kind of neat and fun to [35:12] think about where [35:14] >> you know those misconnections or [35:16] whatever those things were where, hey, I [35:18] saw this. [35:18] >> Yeah. [35:19] >> Cool. that community engagement is [35:21] really is I bet valuable for you [35:24] >> to be able to put out a product that's [35:27] >> going to be what they want. [35:29] >> Yeah. [35:30] >> Yeah. It's interesting. We had one uh [35:34] survey response said, you know, I've got [35:36] that paper on my doorstep for like three [35:38] years and I finally picked it up and [35:40] read it and I like it. It's like so it's [35:43] interesting that when people [35:47] please get engaged is I guess the the [35:49] message we want. Get engaged with the [35:50] community and when you read our paper [35:53] you're going to find out what your [35:54] community is all about and [35:56] >> you're going to help strengthen it. [35:58] You're going to help you know I I would [36:01] just challenge anybody read our paper [36:03] and tell me you don't learn one new [36:04] thing about your community. You know [36:06] it's it won't happen. So, every time you [36:09] read our paper, you're going to learn [36:10] something new or interesting about the [36:12] community. [36:13] >> Mhm. [36:14] >> Yeah. Whether you're a new resident or [36:16] you've lived here for a while, you know, [36:18] I think there's something for everybody. [36:20] For sure. [36:20] >> Absolutely. [36:22] >> It it's uh like you say, you learn [36:24] something new and you do you read [36:26] something, you read a statistic or you [36:27] think, "Wow." [36:28] >> Yeah. [36:29] >> I didn't know that that person had that [36:30] talent. Yeah. [36:31] >> And there they are doing it. [36:33] >> Yeah. [36:34] >> That's inspiring to read. like the [36:36] Michael Ball the artist. It's just [36:38] inspiring to read about people like that [36:39] doing something different and [36:41] >> great. Well, great. So, this is [36:44] Conversations in South St. Paul. We've [36:45] been talking to Tim and Jake, the [36:47] Spitzacs of the uh Voice newspaper in [36:52] South St. Paul and as well as give us a [36:55] plug on on all of them and leave us with [36:57] your website as well. [36:58] >> Yep. The St. Paul Voice, South St. Paul [37:01] Voice, Downtown St. Voice Lavos Latina [37:05] uh website is st paulpublishing.com. [37:08] Um we come out once a month. Keep on [37:12] reading. Uh once again, thank you so [37:14] much for having us on here. Really [37:16] thankful to be able to let people get a [37:18] little bit of a behind thescenes look at [37:20] that paper that drops on their doorstep [37:21] every month. So we're really busy [37:24] between writing and sales. Um big [37:26] commitment trying to juggle those. So [37:28] really love being able to get this [37:30] opportunity and let people see our [37:32] faces. [37:33] >> It's awesome. [37:33] >> Appreciate it. [37:34] >> Yeah. I mean, you guys are a local [37:35] business. You really are. And you can't [37:37] get much local than what you're putting [37:39] out. [37:40] >> Mhm. [37:40] >> And so it's it's tangible and it's ever [37:43] renewing. So So thanks for sticking with [37:45] us. [37:45] >> I love it. [37:47] It's it's it you can tell you really can [37:49] tell that you you care about not only [37:52] the message that you're putting out, but [37:54] the product that you put out and how [37:55] people are receiving it that you want to [37:57] tune it into a little bit more fine-tune [37:59] it in this next generation. [38:01] >> Keep adapting. [38:03] >> Mhm. [38:04] >> Well, thanks guys. Appreciate you taking [38:06] the time and we appreciate you tuning in [38:08] and listening. Thank you.