Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Los Gatans invested a lot to make Weekly-Times 'their' newspaper

By Dale Bryant

Newspaper people are naturally skeptical. So when I became editor of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times nearly four years ago, I was more than a little suspicious of all the people who informed me that they were original investors in the Los Gatos Weekly. More than once I asked Kay Henry, our office manager, "Is there anyone in this town who isn't an investor?"

The fact is, many Los Gatans did invest in the Weekly. But over the years, I've come to realize that, whether or not they put money up to finance the newspaper 15 years ago, everyone in town feels a sense of ownership about the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, the newspaper that the Weekly became.

I remember Dan Pulcrano saying when he hired me: "Los Gatos is a community that really appreciates having a local newspaper."

That seemed clear enough to me from my first day on the job. But because I wasn't here when the Weekly came to town, and I don't remember what many Los Gatans refer to as the "regionalization" of the Times-Observer, the local newspaper I read as a girl, I didn't realize why Los Gatans value a local paper so much. I didn't understand what the Weekly brought to Los Gatos that the town didn't already have.

So, when Dan said he'd like to acknowledge the Weekly's 15th anniversary, I decided I'd better do some homework. I've been reading old issues, and, as often happens, I found that the letters to the editor gave me some perspective beyond what I found in the news section of the paper.

Rae Schmuck wrote in the March 10, 1982, issue: "We are sincerely hoping for a local paper that will carry news of what is happening in this town--municipal, school, recreational, vocational, etc. We will support you as long as you try to include as much as possible--even listings of decisions made by the Planning Commission, no matter how innocuous, are better than the topical 'no news' policy of the once-great Times-Observer."

Fifteen years later, we are still completely committed to local coverage. Believe me, it would be very easy to fill these pages with news that wasn't local. Stacks of press releases come across my desk each day. Public relations and advertising agencies constantly try to convince me that people in Los Gatos would really be interested in reading a story about their client, be it a sports event at the San Jose Arena, a play in Palo Alto or a riding academy in Woodside.

I'm sure many Los Gatans would be interested in reading about a wide range of topics. But I'm also convinced that when they sit down with the Weekly-Times, what they want to read about is Los Gatos, its government, schools, businesses and people.

In the June 2, 1982, issue, Tina and David Rude wrote: "The advent of your newspaper is unquestionably the most important event in the development of the 'community' of Los Gatos. We finally have a real forum, which is the only way a community can develop a consciousness--through weekly dialogue."

After 15 years, readers seldom write letters about the important role of a local newspaper as a community forum. Like me, they take it for granted that this is one of the key functions of the Weekly-Times.

When the Weekly first hit the streets, the community was embroiled in a divisive recall movement. People's frustration over the political situation was compounded by the lack of a forum where they could express themselves.

Local government still gets a lot of attention from readers in our letters section. When there's controversy, as there was over the utility-users tax or the November elections, we let the letters overflow onto additional pages.

There are times when readers turn to the letters page before they read the news. The controversy over the dome at the Blossom Hill Pavilion and about the name of a new sports bar and grill in town pretty much began and ended in our letters page.

In the Nov. 3, 1982, issue of the Weekly, Charlena Stacy commended the paper for endorsing candidates for the Town Council election. "Though I'm sure it was a difficult decision to make (what with all kinds of politicized advertisers hanging their big bucks over your head!), I certainly think the opinion of a news-paper staff to be as worthy of mention as that of any other group in town."

We still believe in endorsing candidates and in taking editorial positions on subjects of community concern. We try to leave our opinions out of news stories, but we feel that the newspaper should also participate in the community dialogue on the op/ed pages.

Recently, when I participated in a panel discussion about journalism, someone asked me how the Weekly-Times could justify taking an editorial position on a local issue that turned out not to be in sync with voters.

We don't check to see which way the wind is blowing when we take a position. What we try to do is evaluate all the information in light of what seems best for the community. When the Weekly first took a position on council candidates, the paper pretty much said the same thing:

"We are decidedly against telling our readers how to vote or using our position of trust to influence the natural course of political process. . . . We also believe it is a newspaper's responsibility to be honest with its readers and disclose to them the opinions of those entrusted with the task of providing information to a community."

Things haven't changed much in 15 years. We're still committed to bringing readers news of the local community, to serving as a community forum and to being a part of that forum.

We know if we fall short of the standards we set for ourselves 15 years ago, the community will let us know. Our readers have invested a lot in having a community newspaper they can call their own.