A new voice for the west-central region
With newspapers struggling to stay afloat, not only because of the Coronavirus pandemic, and with Facebook and Google becoming the advertising medium of choice, you wouldn't think that would be the first choice for a business start-up. However, a former resident of west-central Saskatchewan is moving back to her roots to fill a void left by the closure of several papers in the region.
Kate Winquist hasn't lived in the region for 33 years. Still, when she heard about the Leader-News closure in October 2019 and The Kindersley Clarion, Eston Press and the West Central Crossroads ceasing to print earlier this year, it brought back memories of having to shut her paper down in 2017. Winquist ran The Gull Lake Advance / Advance Southwest from 2009 until 2017. She shut the publication down after 400 editions.
"I was a small independent in amongst a larger group of papers in the same area run by a corporation (Alberta Newspaper Group), stated Winquist. It was a catch-22 situation where I increased my circulation to attract advertisers, but eventually, I couldn't keep up the pace either mentally or financially. I burned out. I needed to take a break from it all and figure out what my next career choice was."
Winquist spent the next ten months as a self-employed marketing consultant and photographer, before ironically accepting a management position at Maple Creek. The Alberta Newspaper Group owns this twice-a-week publication.
"I was quite happy in Maple Creek. It gave me a sense of purpose again. It cemented that love that I have for print. To have a chance to start a newspaper again in the area where I grew up is like a dream come true," said Winquist.
Your West Central Voice will publish in Kindersley, but it will serve a broader area, including the communities of Eston, Eatonia, Leader and Kerrobert. Unlike the West Central Crossroads, it will be subscription-based.
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Your West Central Voice publisher, Kate Winquist stands outside her childhood home near Glidden.
"I am impressed with the number of people who committed to a subscription before they saw the product. I had said that I needed 500 subscriptions to make it go. So far, I have about 200," said Winquist.
"Kindersley and area deserve a newspaper. There is no reason that this part of the province can't support it. I'm hoping that readers and businesses will see the value of it. A newspaper is the original social media. We need newspapers to help keep our history alive."
Winquist has always believed in her abilities and says she's ready to take on this challenge in these uncertain times.
Winquist laughed, "My husband told me that I was the only one crazy enough to start a newspaper during a pandemic."
Winquist encourages people to send their interesting, thought-provoking or unique story or feature article ideas to kate@yoursouthwest.com or stop by the office at #1 - 603 Main Street in Kindersley. To subscribe or advertise call Kate at 306-671-0242.