On Tuesday, April 30th, I attended a meet-and-greet seminar held by the Lexington Herald-Leader at the Marksbury Family Branch Library off Versailles Road. Executive Editor Richard Green was there, as was Managing Editor Lauren Gorla, who did most of the presentation work. I was standing next to Austin Horn — it was standing room only! — the Frankfort politics reporter.
There were several issues discussed, including from one seventies-looking gentleman from Mt. Sterling, who noted that there was very little coverage from his town and other places outside of Lexington. I paid special attention to him, because I grew up there, being graduated from Mt. Sterling High School shortly after we ceased using quill pens and ink bottles. A point a couple of other people, and I, made was that delivery of the newspaper outside of Lexington was spotty at best. Now living in Estill County, home delivery is not available. This is an important issue to me, because, in the late 1960s, I delivered the morning Lexington Herald and afternoon Lexington Leader in my hometown.
I have to wonder: I was not the only paperboy in Mt. Sterling, but do the fewer than 100 customers I had outnumber the total number of subscribers in Montgomery County today?
While the newspaper does have “Lexington” in the name, it was the newspaper for much of central and eastern Kentucky for years and years.
And now? Instead of taking action to make the newspaper more valuable, the Herald-Leader is making it less so:
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This site has recently reported on the problems print newspapers, which are, in the end, simply updated 18th century technology, competing in the 21st century. We have noted how the Lexington Herald-Leader, once two newspapers, morning and afternoon, produced newspapers distributed widely over most of central and eastern Kentucky, is now being reduced to three print editions a week, to be delivered by mail.
