BCS_101024_LQ

40 Thursday, October 10, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com

EMILY CASWELL
View Newspaper Group

Last week at a local service club
meeting where I spoke about the
importance of community newspa-
pers, I had the pleasure of dining with
members before the business portion
of the meeting.
One of those members happens to
be a poker buddy of and neighbor
to my dad (View Newspaper Group
Publisher Wes Smith).
While we’re friendly, we’ve never
really sat down and had a conversa-
tion. Until last week.
He shared with me about a trip
he and his wife took to Maine and
Massachusetts the week prior, which
ended with them attending the rainy
Michigan State football game at
Boston College.
He’s a good storyteller, and I
enjoyed hearing about his trip, espe-
cially their visit to a local Elk’s Club,
and the alumni tailgate event they
attended. (The game didn’t end well
for us Spartys, but my feeling is we
all win when there’s a good tailgate).
Anyway, the exchange got me
thinking about how much I love hear-
ing people tell stories. It’s certainly
one of the reasons I became a journal-
ist.
Whether about a great trip, a career
path or a family legend, everyone
has a story to tell.
Storytelling is something we
encourage our clients to do each and
every day.
It’s an important skill that I’ve writ-
ten about before in this column, citing
this from a Harvard Business Review
article: “In our information-saturated
age, business leaders ‘won’t be
heard unless they’re telling stories,’

says Nick Morgan, author of “Power Cues” and president and founder of Public Words, a commu- nications consulting firm. ‘Facts and figures and all the rational things that we think are important in the business world actually don’t stick in our minds at all,’ he says. But stories create ‘sticky’ memories by attaching emotions to things that happen. That means leaders who can create and share good stories have a powerful advantage over others.” Stanford Marketing Professor Jennifer Aaker says “stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone.” As a growing community newspaper group, we know that telling our story is important, which is why I was excited to see the theme for this year’s National Newspaper Week is “Telling Our Stories.” On now through Oct. 12, this marks the 84th celebration of National Newspaper Week. Since 1940, Newspaper Association Managers has sponsored and sup- ported National Newspaper Week, a week-long promotion of the newspaper industry in the United States and Canada. One of the stories the group is ask- ing newspaper professionals to tell is the story of why they entered the

profession. As a third generation newspaper professional, family tradition certainly plays a role in why I entered this field. There is ink in my blood, but my drive goes beyond that. I started my first internship at The County Press at just 19 years old. My first day on the job I was sent to cover a special meeting about a school bus stop being moved. The meeting was packed, and even though I was only 19 with very little experience, everyone wanted to talk to me. They wanted to tell me their story. I realized being a journalist gave me access to everyone’s story, no matter what it was, and I loved it. From meetings to courtrooms to backstage at a Broadway show to small businesses to homes and more, the access and the stories change depending on the situation, and I never take any of it for granted. Both result in the many important roles a journalist and a community newspaper play: a watchdog, a source of entertainment, a marketing resource, a scrapbook, a calendar and so much more. In more than two decades as a journalist, my career has evolved and so has View Newspaper Group. Today, I’m proud to work alongside our talented editorial teams that serve readers in 13 counties. Our 21 newspapers across the state have print editions reaching more than 335,000 households each week, plus an additional 500,000 monthly online readers. Started with just one newspaper in 2003, View Newspaper Group is now Michigan’s largest independently-

owned newspaper company. Our team is dedicated to making connections for our readers and our clients. We are reminded daily of why the work we do is vital. Sometimes it’s a reader sharing how a column made them smile. Other days it’s a client sharing the success of an ad campaign. Maybe a community member becomes aware of an issue effecting their tax dollars because of a public notice we have published. No matter the reason, we love to hear the stories of how our newspapers make a difference in the commu- nities we serve. This National Newspaper Week, thank you for reading as we continue Telling Our (and Your) Stories. Do you have a story to tell? I’d love to hear it. Email me at ecaswell@ mihomepaper.com.

WE CARE FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN Full Service Dentistry

**- Root Canals

Gum Treatment

Cosmetic Dentistry

Implants • Crowns

Extractions • White Fillings

Invisalign® on Teens & Adults
RIGHT CHOICE DENTAL
All Services Provided in a PAINLESS Manner**
475 E. Columbia Ave., Suite #5,
Battle Creek, MI 49014 (Lower level)
(269)968-9923
rightchoicedentalbattlecreek.com

Implants $ 675

DR. WEST

**- Root Canals

Gum Treatment

Cosmetic Dentistry

Implants • Crowns

RIGHT CHOICE DENTAL
(269)968-9923

Implants $ 675

DR. WEST

**- Root Canals

Gum Treatment

Cosmetic Dentistry

Implants • Crowns

RIGHT CHOICE DENTAL
(269)968-9923

Implants $ 675

DR. WEST

Lakeview Square

Cards & Comics Trade Show

November 9 th , 2024

Call Jim at 269-419-0872 or [email protected]

Thank You Horrocks, for your support!

Jetco Signs

SW I SS STEA K SU PPER

Baseline Church 9617 Base Line Rd., Battle Creek

Fr i d a y, Oct o ber 1 8th fr om 5 to 7 pm

Adults $15, ages 6-12, $6, under 6, FREE Take-Outs 269-963-7710

Emily Caswell

Telling stories, ours and yours, to make a difference

said Eric Greene, president of the Lakeview School District Board of Education and the forum’s moderator. Each candidate will have 2 minutes to respond to main questions and 1 minute for follow-up questions. Additionally, there will be an audience question-and- answer session.

LAKEVIEW Continued from Page 39

BCS_101024_LQ

Get our desktop app

Company

Features

Documentation

Resources