♪ MUSIC REPORT FROM SANTA FE IS MADE POSSIBLE, IN PART, BY GRANTS FROM THE NEW MEXICO MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, A BETTER NEW MEXICO THROUGH BETTER CITIES AND FROM THE HEALY FOUNDATION, TAOS, NM.

HELLO, I'M LORENE MILLS, AND WELCOME TO REPORT FROM SANTA F. OUR GUEST TODAY IS BILL CHURCH, WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF THE OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN NEW MEXICO, THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN , CELEBRATING 175 YEARS OF PUBLICATION.

>>BILL: CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT ALREADY?

>>LORENE: AND THAT'S SO YOUNG.

WELL, IT IS, IT'S WONDERFUL, IT'S A NEWSPAPER THAT I LOVE AND I WANT OUR AUDIENCE TO THINK ABOUT THEIR LOCAL PAPERS AND HOW MUCH THEY GET AND HOW IMPORTANT A PART OF THE FABRIC OF THEIR LIVES IT IS.

BUT YOU WERE IN MANY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS, SO TELL US HOW YOU GOT HERE.

FIRST OF ALL, WAIT, WHAT IS AN EXECUTIVE EDITOR?

>>BILL: YOU KNOW, IT'S A NICE, FANCY TITLE, WHICH MEANS I GET TO WEAR A TIE AND A POCKET SQUARE EVERY DAY.

I HAVE OVERSIGHT STRATEGICALLY OF THE NEWSROOM, HAVE THE BENEFIT OF WORKING WITH TOP NOTCH EDITORS AND REPORTERS, BUT MY FOCUS A LOT IS ON WHERE WE'RE GOING ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS, BUT ALSO LONG TERM.

>>LORENE: YEAH, WELL WITH 175 YEARS BEHIND YOU, YOU HAVE TO BE LOOKING FORWARD TOO.

YOU HAVE SERVED IN MANY OTHER LOVELY COMMUNITIES.

TELL US, WELL, FIRST, HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN JOURNALISM?

>>BILL: WELL, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION LORENE, WOULD YOU BELIEVE IN THE FOURTH GRADE I WAS AT GLENWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN OKLAHOMA AND MY FRIEND AT THAT TIME, TERRY KATZ AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL NEWSPAPER.

>>LORENE: OH MY GOSH.

>>BILL: AND WE PUT OUT AN EDITION, THE PRINCIPAL LOVED IT.

IT WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY TIME I'VE BEEN TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE.

>>LORENE: FOR A GOOD THING >>BILL: FOR A GOOD CAUSE, BUT THAT IN MANY WAYS SORT OF IGNITED IT.

BUT I WAS LUCKY.

I WAS A MILITARY BRAT, MY DAD WAS IN THE AIR FORCE AND WE LIVED IN GERMANY, WE LIVED IN JAPAN AND STARS AND STRIPES , BECAME MY VEHICLE TO THE WORLD.

I DIDN'T REALIZE AT THE TIME THAT, MY FATHER, WHO WAS A TECH SERGEANT, DIDN'T MAKE THAT MUCH MONEY, SO FOR US TO GET A DAILY NEWSPAPER DELIVERED, REGARDLESS OF WHERE WE WERE, FELT LIKE JUST THE WORLD WAS COMING TO ME.

SO EVEN THOUGH WE WERE, I WAS THE NEW KID IN A LOT OF PLACES, I LEARNED QUICKLY TO ADAPT TO THE WORLD AND ADAPT TO WHERE WE WERE AND THE NEWSPAPER HAD A LOT TO DO WITH THAT.

>>LORENE: THE STARS AND STRIPES HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN EXCELLENT PERIODICAL, EXCELLENT NEWSPAPER.

>>BILL: ONE OF MY FAVORITES.

>>LORENE: DO YOU STILL READ IT?

>>BILL: I DO ONLINE ON OCCASION, IT WAS AT ONE POINT A GOAL OF MINE TO GO WORK FOR STARS AND STRIPES .

>>LORENE: WHERE ARE SOME OF THE OTHER PLACES THAT YOU'VE BEEN BECAUSE THEY ARE SOME OF THE MOST CHARMING COMMUNITIES.

>>BILL: YEAH.

I'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE IN MY CAREER.

I'VE WORKED IN BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, WHICH EVERYONE KNOWS IF YOU ARE A LOVER OF CEREAL, YOU KNOW WHERE BATTLE CREEK IS.

I WAS IN SALEM, OREGON AND YOU KNOW, THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN THE STATE CAPITAL IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, WHERE I MET MY WIFE, SO IMPORTANT.

I WAS IN SARASOTA, WHICH IN MANY WAYS, HAS A DEMOGRAPHIC VERY REFLECTIVE OF SANTA FE.

>>LORENE: REALLY?

>>BILL: IT'S AN OLDER COMMUNITY, AFFLUENT, CIVICALLY ENGAGED, ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN POLITICS, EVEN THOUGH TALLAHASSEE IS THE STATE CAPITAL IN FLORIDA.

IT WAS THERE WHERE I MET PAT DORSEY, MY PUBLISHER, WHO IS NOW MY PUBLISHER HERE IN SANTA FE.

SO WORKING IN SARASOTA, WORKING IN AUSTIN, WHERE I WENT NEXT, IN A CORPORATE NEWS ROLE, AND THEN WORKING IN RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, A SWING STATE, A GROWTH COMMUNITY, AND A WONDERFUL NEWSROOM THAT I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO NOT ONLY INHERIT, BUT HELP MOVE FORWARD IN SOME UNIQUE WAYS.

SO I'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE IN MY CAREER AND NOW HERE IN SANTA FE, WHICH JUST FEELS LIKE A DREAM.

>>LORENE: WELL, IT IS, IT IS.

IT'S INTERESTING, TEXAS IS SO REPUBLICAN, BUT AUSTIN IS NOT AND SO I'M SURE THAT IN REPRESENTING A COMMUNITY LIKE THAT, THERE'S A LOT OF POLITICAL WAVES CRASHING AGAINST THE NEWS AND A LOT OF INTRIGUE.

>>BILL: YEAH, BUT LORENE, YOU KNOW THIS AS A LONGTIME JOURNALIST, YOU KNOW, OUR ROLE IS TO BE, IN VERY MANY WAYS, AN UNLICENSED BEHAVIORAL ANTHROPOLOGIST TO GO AND DIG AND FIND THE BONES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN BURIED.

WE ARE CLINICIANS BY NATURE, INQUISITORS BY NATURE AND REALLY, IT'S LESS ABOUT THE POLITICS AND MORE ABOUT WHAT DOES THE PUBLIC NEED TO KNOW.

THAT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GO FIND OUT.

>>LORENE: ONE OF THE REASONS I WANTED YOU TO COME HERE, IT JUST SEEMS THAT IT'S FOUNDATIONAL, THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER IS FOUNDATIONAL FOR DEMOCRACY TO WORK.

AND, IN THIS AGE OF WHERE WE NEED TO REALLY LOOK AT MEDIA LITERACY AND TO HAVE TRUSTED SOURCES, THERE'S SO MUCH MISINFORMATION NOW, THERE'S SO MANY SILOS, AS THEY CALL THEM, OF SEPARATE INTERESTS THAT ARE PUTTING OUT THEIR NEWS AND IT'S OFTEN NOT TRUE, IT'S OFTEN PROPAGANDA.

AND WE'VE LOST, I'M AFRAID, AS A CULTURE, THIS MEDIA LITERACY OF KNOWING WHAT'S TRUE OR FALSE AND IT LEADS, IF YOU DON'T KNOW TRUE FROM FALSE, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A HARD TIME WITH WHAT'S RIGHT AND WHAT'S WRONG.

SO IT'S A HUGE ISSUE, IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I LOVE LOCAL NEWSPAPERS BECAUSE THEY'RE ON THE GROUND, THEY CAN REALLY KIND OF TELL WHAT'S TRUE AND WHAT'S NOT.

IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE GETTING THE TICKER TAPE FROM NEW YORK, THEY'RE RIGHT THERE AND THEY WERE IN THE BARBERSHOP GETTING THEIR HAIRCUT AND THEY HEARD THE GUY AND THEN, I MEAN IT'S REALLY, IT'S REALLY.

SO, I JUST THINK, I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU DO AND WHAT YOU BRING TO US.

YOU TALKED ABOUT THE AUDIENCE, WHY DOES THE AUDIENCE MATTER, YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE, HOW DO YOU HOLD YOUR AUDIENCE?

>>BILL: I THINK ABOUT AUDIENCE IN THE RELATIONSHIP THAT A NEWS ORGANIZATION HAS WITH ITS COMMUNITY.

JOY MAYER, WHO RUNS THIS FABULOUS PROGRAM CALLED TRUSTING NEWS , TALKS ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE IMPORTANCE OF IT.

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ENAMORED WITH HOW YOU TREAT IT.

IF A NEWSPAPER CONNECTS WITH ITS COMMUNITY LIKE IT DOES IN A MARRIAGE, THE MOST INTIMATE TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP, YOU CAN FORGIVE MISTAKES ON OCCASION, BUT IT'S ALWAYS THAT TRUST THAT SORT OF DRIVES THAT RELATIONSHIP.

I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT EXISTS RIGHT NOW IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE THAT MARRIAGE BETWEEN COMMUNITY AND NEWS ORGANIZATION IN MANY MARKETS.

IT EXISTS HERE IN SANTA FE, THERE'S NO DOUBT WHEN YOU HAVE 175 YEAR HISTORY AS THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN DOES.

IT STARTED WITH COMMUNITY, IT CONTINUES WITH COMMUNITY, BUT I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT EXIST RIGHT NOW, LORENE, IS YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE A LOCAL MEDIA ORGANIZATION THAT IS INVESTED IN THE RELATIONSHIP THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN BETWEEN A NEWS ORGANIZATION AS THE PUBLIC'S WATCHDOG IN THE COMMUNITY ITSELF.

>>LORENE: AND THAT'S THE NEXT, I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY, BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO, YOU'RE DELIVERING A MESSAGE AND THEY SAY THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE AND ALL THAT, BUT YOU HAVE TO "JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM," AND YOU REALLY JUST WANT TO TRY TO DELIVER THE CONTENT WITHOUT THE FLASH AND THE FILIGREE.

IN THE COLUMNISTS, FOR EXAMPLE FLASH AND FILIGREE IS ACCEPTED FOR THE STRAIGHT NEWS, YOU KNOW, JUST THE FACTS.

AND THEN THERE ARE PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES THAT ARE CRUCIAL AND THAT WILL HAVE A LOT TO DO WITH UPCOMING ELECTIONS AND HOW THE PEOPLE SPEAK.

ONE THING THAT I'VE ALWAYS LOVED AND YOU'VE ALWAYS PUBLISHED THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS AND YOU ALSO, AS A NEWSPAPER, HAVE PROS AND CONS OF A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE ON THE BALLOT, SO THE PEOPLE GET EDUCATED.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE PUTS ONE OUT, LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS AND THEN YOU ALSO HAVE, IF THIS HAPPENS AND YOU VOTE YES, THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IF YOU VOTE NO, THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

AND AGAIN, BACK TO THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AUDIENCE, YOUR READERS, YOU RESPECT THEM, YOU'RE NOT DUMBING IT DOWN.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S A WEBSITE CALLED "EXPLAIN IT TO ME" AND YOU CAN CHOOSE LIKE I'M A FIVE-YEAR-OLD, LIKE I'M AN ADULT OR LIKE I'M A SCIENTIST AND I USUALLY START WITH THE FIVE-YEAR-OLD.

>>BILL: RIGHT.

>>LORENE: BUT YOU RESPECT THE INTELLIGENCE AND THE VALUES OF YOUR AUDIENCE, YOU CAN JUST TELL THEM THE FACTS AND TRUST THAT THEY CAN ASSIMILATE THEM.

>>BILL: YEAH.

I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT EXISTS IS WE'RE IN THE, REPORT FROM SANTA FE IS IN THE ROUNDHOUSE, THIS BEAUTIFUL STATE CAPITAL, THE OLDEST IN OUR COUNTRY, WHERE PUBLIC POLICIES ARE DEBATED AND DECIDED ALMOST ON A DAILY BASIS.

WHAT WE HAVE TO REMEMBER IS THAT PUBLIC OFFICIALS EXIST BECAUSE OF THE PUBLIC.

OUR ROLE AS A NEWS ORGANIZATION VESTED IN THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS TO BE THE PUBLIC'S WATCHDOG AND I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE IS THAT IN SOME CASES, PUBLIC AGENCIES FORGET THAT THEY WORK FOR THE PUBLIC.

THAT IS TROUBLING BECAUSE THE NEWS MEDIA ISN'T THE ENEMY, WHAT WE SHOULD BE ARE EXACTLY THAT, THE WATCHDOG, THE NEIGHBOR WHO IS PAYING ATTENTION TO HOW TAXPAYER TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT WITH NO ANIMOSITY, BUT MORE UNDERSTANDING THAT OUR ADVOCACY IS FOR THE PUBLIC'S TRUST.

>>LORENE: IN AN EARLIER CONVERSATION YOU MENTIONED NEWS AVOIDANCE AND YOU HAD SAID, AS JOURNALISTS, WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF WHAT WE PROVIDE BUT BE CLEAR EYED THAT NEWS AVOIDANCE DOESN'T CURE ITSELF.

THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO JUST DON'T WANT TO KNOW.

>>BILL: THERE WAS A REPORT TODAY IN NIEMAN LAB, WHICH IS ONE OF THE INDUSTRY'S PUBLICATIONS, THAT POINTED OUT THAT A GROWING NUMBER OF NEWS INFLUENCERS, YOU KNOW, THE PODCASTERS, THOSE WHO FOLKS MAY FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE HAD NO CONNECTION TO A NEWS ORGANIZATION AND THAT THOSE NEWS INFLUENCERS WHO ARE NOT CONNECTED TO A NEWS ORGANIZATION ALSO TEND TO BE MUCH MORE POLITICALLY IDENTIFIED IN TERMS OF THEIR IDENTITY.

SO IF YOU'RE GETTING YOUR NEWS FROM FOLKS WHO DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DISSECT FACTS AND OFFER ANALYSIS AND UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS IN THE PUBLIC'S GOOD, CAN YOU SEE THE IMPACT THAT IT HAS, I THINK WE ALL HAVE SEEN THAT.

>>LORENE: WE'RE SPEAKING TODAY WITH BILL CHURCH, WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN , THE OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN NEW MEXICO.

YOU WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, AND YOU STUDIED ECONOMICS, BUT TELL US HOW THAT STUDY, HOW YOU SEGUED INTO JOURNALISM.

NOW WE KNOW YOUR EARLY FOURTH GRADE FIRST NEWSPAPER, BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN COLLEGE?

WHEN YOU LEFT THE COLD HANDSHAKE OF ECONOMICS AND MOVED INTO THE EXCITEMENT AND DYNAMISM OF JOURNALISM?

>>BILL: LORENE, I'M NOT SO SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ISN'T ECONOMICS THE DISMAL SCIENCE THAT I WAS TRYING TO BRING SOME PIZZAZZ TO IT.

I, DURING THROUGHOUT COLLEGE, I CONTINUED TO WRITE, I COVERED SPORTS ON THE WEEKEND, AND THEN I STARTED MOVING INTO NEWS, SO JOURNALISM NEVER LEFT ME.

AND WHEN I WENT TO NORTHWESTERN IN THE PHD PROGRAM FOR ECONOMICS, I WAS CONVINCED THAT MY FUTURE WAS GOING TO BE A LABOR ECONOMIST, IT JUST SOUNDED ENTICING.

I OBVIOUSLY MUST HAVE BEEN IN LOVE, IN MAD LOVE, AND DIDN'T HAVE ALL OF MY REASONING SKILLS AT WORK AT THE TIME.

BUT MY ROOMMATE WAS GOING THROUGH THE MEDILL SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND STRUGGLING, SO I WOULD CONTINUE TO KEEP MY HAND IN IT BY LOOKING AT HIS PAPERS AND REWRITING SOME OF THEM.

HE NEVER MADE IT IN JOURNALISM, SO I DON'T FEEL I BURDENED THE INDUSTRY IN ANY WAY.

BUT IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT ECONOMICS WASN'T WHERE I WANTED TO GO, IT WAS BACK TO JOURNALISM AND I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER WAY TO HAVE SPENT MY CAREER.

>>LORENE: YEAH, AND ALSO, YOU HAD SAID THAT YOU LIKE BEING THE FIRST PERSON TO KNOW ABOUT STUFF.

>>BILL: CURIOSITY AND COMPETITIVENESS IS SO IMPORTANT.

>>LORENE: YEAH.

SO YOU TALK ABOUT THE EDITORIAL PAGE IS, IF IT'S DONE, ONE OF THE HIGHEST FORMS TO DO IT IS AS A CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND YOUR READERS SO THAT THERE'S THE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SECTION AND THEN THERE'S SEVERAL, MAYBE SOME GUEST EDITORIALS AND THEN YOUR OWN EDITORIALS AND STUFF AND WHEN THERE'S SO MUCH MUTUAL RESPECT BETWEEN THE NEWSPAPER AND THE COMMUNITY THAT REALLY WORKS, I THINK IN SANTA FE AND I REALLY LOVE THE ALBUQUERQUE PAPER, TOO.

I THINK THEY ARE PRETTY GOOD, ACTUALLY, AND WHEN I'M IN ANY TOWN, YOU KNOW, I PICK UP THEIR LOCAL PAPER AND I LOOK AT IT AND SEE WHAT, AND OF COURSE, THEY ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE DOING WOMEN'S NEWS AND RESTAURANT REVIEWS, I MEAN, IT'S FOR THE WHOLE PERSON.

BUT, IN TERMS OF THE NEWS THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF ELECTIONS AND VOTING AND THE ECONOMY AND BUSINESS, THERE'S JUST SO MUCH, SO MUCH THERE.

SO, DO YOU EVER GET LETTERS TO THE EDITOR THAT YOU THINK MAKE A GOOD POINT, BUT ARE TOO FIERCE?

>>BILL: WELL, WE HAVE A GREAT SCENARIO HERE AT THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN .

ROBIN MARTIN, OUR OWNER, HAS AN INTEREST IN THE EDITORIAL PAGE AND A RESPONSIBILITY FROM HER PERSPECTIVE.

INÉZ RUSSELL GOMEZ, OUR EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR.

>>LORENE: SHE'S GREAT.

>>BILL: WELL KNOWN, WELL CONNECTED IN THIS COMMUNITY.

SHE UNDERSTANDS THAT THE VALUE OF THE EDITORIAL PAGE IS NOT ONLY COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP, BUT COMMUNITY DISCUSSION.

SO THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE GET LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND INEZ IS VERY GOOD ABOUT SHARING THEM WITH ME AND ROBIN ABOUT WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS LETTER, SHOULD WE RUN IT.

WE TEND TO FOCUS ON AN ACTION OF SAYING, LET'S PRINT THE LETTER UNLESS IT'S JUST FACTUALLY INACCURATE, IT'S DEFAMATORY, IT'S EGREGIOUS TO THE POINT OF IT DOESN'T REALLY STIMULATE THE CONVERSATION.

BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU VOTED FOR, YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY IN THIS COMMUNITY FORUM TO INVEST IN THAT OPINION AND CONTRIBUTE IT.

>>LORENE: WELL, I'M SURE THAT EVERY COMMUNITY HAS SOME HOT BUTTON THINGS, FOR SANTA FE, IT'S BEEN THE OBELISK, >>BILL: REALLY, I HEARD THAT.

>>LORENE: AND SO YOU'VE PRINTED SOME LETTERS THAT ARE DELIGHTFUL IN THERE.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S TAKE IT OVER TO THE HISTORY MUSEUM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN INSCRIPTION ON IT THAT TO THE CONTEMPORARY CONSCIOUSNESS IS OFFENSIVE BECAUSE IT HAS SAVAGES ON IT.

HOWEVER, AT THE TIME, ALL THOSE YEARS AGO, THAT'S HOW THEY FELT AND IT SEEMS TO ME YOU CAN'T CHISEL IT OUT AND THEN JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NEVER GOING TO LEARN FROM HISTORY IF WE DON'T KNOW HISTORY AND WE'VE MOVED ON SINCE THEN, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO BACK AND SAY, YOU PEOPLE 150 YEARS AGO, YOU'RE DEAD WRONG.

AND, SO ANYWAY, I FOLLOWED ALL THE DISCUSSION ABOUT MOVING THE OBELISK.

I'M SURE YOU'VE HAD YOUR PET ISSUES AND ARE THERE SOME THINGS THAT JUST WON'T GO AWAY?

>>BILL: I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE QUIRKS AND STRENGTHS OF SANTA FE, THAT THESE ISSUES DON'T GO AWAY.

AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF NEW MEXICO, WHERE IT'S ALLIANCES IN ARGUMENTS AND CONFLICTS THAT GO BACK CENTURIES, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A VOICE IN IT.

THE IRONY THAT YOU MENTION THE OBELISK IS MY THINKING OF WHAT I WANT TO WRITE ABOUT FOR A RECENT COLUMN ON THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY IN THE HALLWAY OF OUR BUILDING IS A 1912 PHOTO DUOTONE OF THE PLAZA.

MEN ARE WEARING HATS AND THREE-PIECE SUITS, WOMEN, BEAUTIFUL HATS, LOVELY DRESSES, BUT IN THE CENTER OF THE IMAGE IS THE OBELISK.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN THE OBELISK IN ANY IMAGE, JUST IN THAT BY HAPPENSTANCE HERE IN SANTA FE.

NOW, WHAT TICKLED ME WAS RIGHT NEAR THE OBELISK WERE TWO MEN READING COPIES OF THE NEWSPAPER.

SO I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THERE IT IS.

>>LORENE: THERE IT IS.

WOULD YOU GIVE US YOUR WEBSITE FOR THE NEWSPAPER, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A WHOLE SECTION THERE OF ALL OF PICTURES OF THE PLAZA AND THE OBELISK AND EVERYTHING.

SOMEBODY DID A WHOLE LOT OF WORK CELEBRATING THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY.

SO THERE WERE A LOT OF OTHER EVENTS, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL PHOTOGRAPHS.

>>BILL: ASHLEY BIGGERS, OUR MAGAZINE EDITOR, PUT TOGETHER OUR 116 PAGE, 175TH EDITION, WHICH IS WONDERFUL, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T THINK OF A NEWSPAPER THAT HAS COVERED BOTH KIT CARSON.

>>LORENE: YES, YES!

>>BILL: YOU KNOW, FROM THE START AND BILLY THE KID TO ALL OF THE ISSUES THAT HAVE MADE THE HEADLINES, IN RECENT YEARS.

AND IF YOU GO TO SANTAFENEWMEXICAN.COM, YOU WILL FIND OUR CONTENT TO THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY.

IT'S A COLLECTION OF NOT ONLY OUR PAST SECTIONS, BUT PHOTO GALLERIES AND STORIES AND FOR THE NEXT YEAR, LORENE, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO COVER IT, INCLUDING HISTORIC FRONT PAGES AND OTHER STORIES.

EVERYONE IN SANTA FE IS CONNECTED TO THE NEW MEXICAN HERITAGE, BECAUSE OUR HERITAGE IS COMMUNITIES.

>>LORENE: RIGHT AND AS YOU SO NICELY SAY, SANTA FE IS KIND OF THE SOUL, IN SOME WAYS, OF NEW MEXICO.

>>BILL: IT IS THE SOUL OF NEW MEXICO BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO TELL ANYONE ELSE.

>>LORENE: BUT YOU'VE EXPANDED AND INCLUDE SO MUCH OF THE STATEWIDE NEWS AND THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, THAT ARE NEWS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND BECAUSE WE ARE THEIR NEIGHBORS, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT NEWS FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE INTERESTED IN OUR NEIGHBORS.

SO, YOU REALLY DO A WONDERFUL JOB ABOUT THAT.

YOU HAD MENTIONED YOU'RE EXPANDING NOW INTO DIFFERENT FORMATS, YOU'RE GOING DIGITAL, YOU'RE SIMPLY THINKING BIGGER TO FIND OTHER WAYS TO DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE, BUT TO PROVIDE OTHER KINDS OF INFORMATION.

SO TALK TO ME ABOUT HOW YOU'RE THINKING BIGGER.

>>BILL: SURE, WE'VE MADE THE TRANSITION TO DIGITAL STORYTELLING, ALTHOUGH THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK THAT WE CAN DO.

WE'RE UNIQUE IN THE SENSE THAT WE ARE STILL A SEVEN-DAY PRINT NEWSPAPER, WHICH JUST DOESN'T EXIST IN A LOT OF EVEN LARGE CITY MARKETS THESE DAYS.

>>LORENE: REALLY.

>>BILL: WE PUT OUT AN ARRAY OF MAGAZINES.

IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE IN A TOURISM TOWN, BUT WE'RE ALSO, YOU KNOW, INEZ'S "CONVERSATION DIFFERENT" PODCAST IS WELL RECEIVED.

I WAS A GUEST ONE TIME, I WAS JUST SURPRISED AT THE NUMBER OF FOLKS WHO CAME UP TO ME AND SAID THEY HAD HEARD IT, WHY EVEN BOTHER WITH SOMEONE WHO'D BARELY BEEN IN TOWN FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND YET THAT SHOWS THE LEVEL OF INTENSITY AND OPPORTUNITY.

WE'RE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WE'VE BEEN LAUNCHING NEW NEWSLETTERS, INCLUDING THE ROUNDHOUSE REPORT BY THE WONDERFUL DANIEL CHACON, WHO EVERYONE IN THE WORLD SEEMS TO KNOW.

WE'VE LAUNCHED AN ADVENTURE OUTDOOR NEWSLETTER RECENTLY, AND WE'RE ALSO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW PHILANTHROPIC FUNDING, THAT ANYTHING THAT IS PHILANTHROPICALLY FUNDED WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR FREE FOR ANY NEW MEXICAN.

WE STARTED THAT WITH OUR REPORT FOR AMERICA REPORTER AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT SOME OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HOPE TO ANNOUNCE VERY SOON.

>>LORENE: ALSO, YOU HAD MENTIONED IN AND I'VE HEARD THAT YOU'VE SAID THAT YOU WANT FOR ROBIN MARTIN, THE OWNER, TO GUARANTEE THAT THERE'LL BE A FUTURE LINE, AND MAYBE OF ANOTHER 175 YEARS, ALWAYS WITH THE SAME QUALITY AND THE SAME DIALOG WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE SAME DIVERSITY OF CONTENT AND PERSPECTIVE.

BUT TO JUST KNOW THAT YOUR EFFORTS ARE TO BE SURE THAT YOU CONTINUE THAT TRAJECTORY INTO THE FUTURE WITH THE SAME QUALITY AND THE SAME INTEGRITY THAT YOU DO IT NOW.

>>BILL: I HAD A GREAT JOB IN RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, LOVED THE COMMUNITY, LOVED MY NEWSROOM, WORK FOR A GOOD COMPANY AND THEN PAT DORSEY, WHO WAS MY PUBLISHER IN SARASOTA, CALLS ME LOOKING FOR AN EDITOR, AND I THINK HE KNEW.

I MEAN, WHY NOT, THIS IS SANTA FE, THIS IS THE COMMUNITY THAT EVERYONE ASPIRES TO WANT TO LIVE IN AND TO VISIT AND TO WORK FOR SOMEONE LIKE ROBIN, WHO'S PART OF THE FAMILY LEGACY AND THE IMPACT THAT HER DAD AND SHE HAVE HAD ON THIS COMMUNITY.

IF THIS IS MY FINAL RODEO, I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER HORSE TO RIDE ON THAN TO BE HERE, TO THINK ABOUT JOURNALISM FOR THE FUTURE, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS 175 YEAR LEGACY CONTINUES.

>>LORENE: AND, YOU KNOW, I LOVE THAT EVERY PLACE YOU LANDED, YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS IT.

>>BILL: ALWAYS.

>>LORENE: IT JUST SEEMS DESTINED THAT THIS IS IT FOR YOU.

YOU GET TO KEEP ON BEING THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR AND, YOU KNOW, ESCORTING THIS WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL CREATION INTO THE NEXT 175 YEARS.

>>BILL: LORENE, YOU KNOW THE REALITY IS, WE DON'T WANT TO MOVE ANYMORE.

I SPENT 15 MINUTES LOOKING FOR A PAIR OF SOCKS THIS MORNING, THAT PRETTY WELL TOLD ME THAT THIS IS IT.

>>LORENE: RIGHT, RIGHT.

WELL, I JUST REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU, OUR GUEST TODAY IS BILL CHURCH, WHO IS EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF THE SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN , OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN NEW MEXICO.

AND I'M A SUBSCRIBER AND THAT'S ANOTHER THING, PEOPLE WANT TO CUT CORNERS AND GET ALL THEIR INFORMATION FOR FREE, TO ME I LIKE WHAT YOU DO SO MUCH THAT I WANT TO SUBSCRIBE.

AND OF COURSE, AND THANK GOD YOU HAVE THE ONLINE HEADLINES, THAT'S A REAL GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY.

BUT, YOU HELP OUR COMMUNITY BE A BETTER PLACE AND HELP US BE BETTER PEOPLE.

>>BILL: WELL AND THE SAME FOR YOU LORENE, FOR DOING THIS SHOW, BRINGING A PIECE OF NEW MEXICO EVERY TIME.

PUBLIC POLICY AND PUBLIC DISCUSSION IS SO IMPORTANT WE HAVE TO BE GOOD AT IT.

>>LORENE: WE HAVE TO BE GOOD AT IT.

AND ALSO WE HAVE TO BE OPEN-MINDED AND CLEAR EYED AND RESPECT ALL THE PARTIES THAT WORK, EVEN IN THIS BEAUTIFUL BUILDING, THE ROUNDHOUSE.

>>BILL: THERE YOU GO.

>>LORENE: THANK YOU, BILL CHURCH, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE NEW MEXICAN , AND I'M LORENE MILLS.

I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU, OUR AUDIENCE, FOR BEING WITH US TODAY ON REPORT FROM SANTA FE.

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.

REPORT FROM SANTA FE IS MADE POSSIBLE, IN PART, BY GRANTS FROM THE NEW MEXICO MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, A BETTER NEW MEXICO THROUGH BETTER CITIES AND FROM THE HEALY FOUNDATION, TAOS, NM.

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