Willow Glen Resident | 0234

August 21, 2002 Willow Glen, California Since 1992

We may be local, but we're also 'steppin' out'

By Dale Bryant

Willow Glen Resident begins Steppin' Out this week. This new section, which will appear each week, is a special feature of Silicon Valley Community Newspapers (SVCN), publisher of the Resident. Our focus in Steppin' Out is arts and entertainment—and we also tip our hats to the social scene.

While the Resident covers the arts locally, Steppin' Out will look beyond the local community—or look at an aspect of the local arts scene that wouldn't ordinarily be covered by the paper.

This new section allows us to continue being "fiercely local" in our coverage while acknowledging the active involvement of many of our readers in arts and cultural activities outside the community in which they live. And, frankly, it gives SVCN a little more flexibility in supporting the cultural activities that enrich the lives of everyone in this valley.

Our commitment to local news is unwavering. We believe the role of a community newspaper is to give readers in-depth coverage of those things that are important to them in the community where they live. That includes news about local schools and youth sports, features about local people and businesses, as well as news about local government.

As a former editor of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times and the Saratoga News, sister newspapers of the Resident, I know very well, however, that many of our readers enjoy an active cultural and social life beyond our normal coverage area. On numerous occasions, I had to turn down stories because they were not strictly local, even when local readers were involved. Steppin' Out provides a means for us to cover some of these stories.

While Steppin' Out is intended to supplement local news, we are treating it as an entirely separate entity—we don't want to divert the attention of our editor, reporters and columnists from their responsibility of covering the local community. This holds true for the business side of the section as well. Steppin' Out will support itself with advertising.

We kicked off Steppin' Out in July in our Los Gatos and Saratoga papers, and the positive reception we've received in those communities encouraged us to add Steppin' Out to the Resident. Our staff is small. Jim Aquino, our community calendar editor who is also an experienced arts writer, is handling our calendar and many of our arts stories. Estelle Pagnoux, our director of editorial projects, kept dropping into our staff meetings with so many good ideas, we've added her to our Steppin' Out staff. I'm handling editor duties. As we grow, we'll increase our coverage.

Readers can expect stories about upcoming events performed by high-profile groups, such as the San Jose Repertory Theatre and Opera San Jose, as well as productions by less visible groups, including the Mission Chamber Orchestra, the San Jose Center for Poetry and Literature and the Flamenco Society of San Jose.

We're committed to the idea that the success of the performing arts depends on introducing new audiences to live theater, live music, live readings. With this in mind, we'll pay special attention to affordable performances or programs geared at educating new audiences. Opera San Jose, for instance, depends on season ticket holders who are knowledgeable about opera, but the group also stages affordable preview evenings with each new opera and free lectures prior to performances for anyone interested.

As for our decision to "tip our hats," to social activities, we'll do this with a weekly photo spread of social activities—some devoted to worthwhile causes, others strictly social.

Covering social news takes me full circle in my journalism career. Fresh out of college, I got my first job working for the society pages of the San Jose Mercury News. I stayed there nine years, as the society and women's pages morphed into lifestyle sections and the women's movement turned all those earlier pages—including Marjorie Pierce's Socially Yours column, Hints from Heloise, crochet patterns, club news and fashion—into an anachronism.

Those days of society news are long gone, but they're also back with a new look. We no longer think of Lady Bountiful when we use the term "charity"; we think of community and civic responsibility, and men are as committed as women. Junior Leaguers no longer do community service in place of careers; they do community service in addition to careers.

We are all a part of the community in which we live, and those of us at SVCN believe our community newspapers help make that life richer. We hope the addition of Steppin' Out will add an exciting new dimension to our coverage in the Willow Glen Resident.

Dale Bryant is the executive editor of Silicon Valley Community Newspapers.