Brookings edges closer to news desert

Long before this interested party attended South Dakota State University The Brookings Register was one of several daily papers that circulated throughout the student union but best for local news, rentals, job listings, vehicles, used furniture and housing. Now, with cuts to public broadcasting my home county is closer to the End Times than ever before.

It's a sad day today at The Register.  

They started printing a paper by that name in 1890 here in Brookings, and it's lasted until this week.

It's no secret that it's tough times out there for all print media, and we're no exception. But make no mistake — we're closed for now as a result of poor corporate management.

We were not officially told until today at 1 p.m. — long after many of you found out. Just another sad little twist along a path I don't want to recount right now. I hope it's not the end for The Brookings Register, but it's the end for this version of it, anyway.

What I DO want to say? This paper matters to me. It matters to the staff who so diligently and faithfully produced it day in and day out. And it matters to YOU. So many people have called, emailed, knocked on the door... You care about this paper. You care about having news in this town. I am working to see if something can be done to continue that. With any luck, more on that, later.

I grew up here. My picture was in the Register as a kid, and Wendell Hougland still calls me Jose because that's how my name was printed here when I lucked into scoring a goal once in the '90s.

There's no small amount of shame about being the one in this chair when this happens. I did not want to shut the doors, here. But I'll wear it.

This is not a time to abandon the news. Especially not for the modern-day Babel of social media. We simply have to do better, and that starts with a place for community conversation.

Thank you, so much, to all our staff — Greg Roe, Jay Roe, Butch Friedel, Andrew Holtan, Katie Foiles, Mondell Keck, Doug Kott. You all carried a heavier and heavier load, and did it well. Thanks especially to the stalwart and spry John Kubal. Thanks to Chris Schad. Thanks to Tracy Jonas, our recently promoted-to-retired publisher. Thanks to Billy McMacken, for hiring me to come back here and give this a try.

Mostly, thank you to our readers and subscribers for always supporting us, even when you didn't agree with everything. In the end, it is your paper, and we are just the stewards of that public trust. Of that important job of keeping our community in conversation with itself, of watching our institutions, of making sure public business is conducted in public. Onward.

Josh Linehan

Managing Editor

The Brookings Register

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