Happy Silver Anniversary to Northwest Prime Time

It's been 25 years since the first edition of Northwest Prime Time rolled hot off the presses. Hard to believe that it happened so many years ago, but March 2000 marked the beginning of an era for me.

Another era began when we became online-only in April 2022, the month after our very last edition rolled off the presses. At the same time, I began documenting the history of Northwest Prime Time in this monthly blog, "The True-Life Adventures of a Senior Newspaper Publisher." 

Readers were disappointed in the transition. The common refrain: "I like holding the paper in my hands. Reading it online is not the same." I wholeheartedly agree. One avid fan confessed that she loved the senior newspaper so much that she wished she could win the lottery just to pay us to continue printing! 

There is something very satisfying about working on a print edition: researching, collecting articles and photos from contributors, interviewing people and writing copy, laying out all the pages, sweating the deadline, and then having that tangible evidence of your efforts held right there in front of you. 

At the beginning of the transition, we tried a compromise -- a ready-to-print publication that looked just like the paper version of Northwest Prime Time. In the last edition, I wrote a letter to our readers: For those who want to hold a publication in their hands, a new ready-to-print newsletter means you can count on seeing your favorite columnists and the other articles you enjoy. We will post a new publication that can be read online BUT it is also designed to be easily printed. The new, 8.5x11 inch format means you can print Northwest Prime Time on your home printer, or a black-and-white copy for free (or nearly free) at your local library. 

We kept this up for four months until I realized that very few people were downloading the online edition and that it was a LOT of work on top of learning the ropes of the new website. The vast majority of our readers were going directly to the stories posted on our website instead of reading the same stories in the online edition, and so we quietly retired the idea. However, on a related note, we do still offer a monthly newsletter which alerts readers to new posts since the previous month. (To sign up, email editor@northwestprimetime.com with "Subscribe" in the subject line.)

But back to my blog. The initital effort began: "When I first became publisher of Northwest Prime Time, a newspaper for people over age 50 in the greater Seattle area, I was not even old enough to qualify for our readership demographic. Oh, those naïve days of my early-40s... So young and I didn’t even know it."

It's been a twisty, turny adventure, full of unknowns and many ups and downs.

Reflecting back on my 25-year journey, I recollect that before Northwest Prime Time, I was a counselor and advisor through the Seattle College District. I hadn’t intended on switching careers. My partner, Chris, lost his job when the longtime senior newspaper he worked for abruptly went out of business. Together we decided he should try to fill that void and start one of his own. Great idea, except for the pesky little fact that neither of us had any experience publishing a newspaper. But we were willing to give it a try, and he needed all the free help he could get. 

Before I knew it, I was delivering newspapers and together we were trying to figure out how to run the business. Over the years, we've learned a lot and met a lot of great people along the way.

One curious fact that I didn't account for but that I enjoy tremendously... There is a lot of overlap in my work as a college counselor / advisor and that of editor / publisher. Both jobs require interviewing people and practicing good listening skills. Both require research, writing, gathering information and disseminating resources. 

One thing is for certain, after 25 years I am glad for the twisty-turny experience of being a senior newspaper publisher.

An early blog post recounted that very first edition in March 2000. Here you go:

Right from the get-go, I learned first-hand about the power of the presses. At least an obscure aspect of that power. The photo on the cover had the phone ringing: “Who is that?” women would ask about the silver-haired, smiling man holding flowers ready for planting. “Where did you find him?” they wanted to know. Most importantly, “Is he single?”

Sadly, I knew nothing about our cover boy. His was simply one of a hundred images from a newly purchased stock photo disc. I will admit, he's pretty cute. Plus he looks handy. No wonder so many women called to inquire!

The power of the presses -- both print AND online -- continues to amaze me, especially the chance it's given me to interact with so many of our wonderful readers. Those readers have been supportive over the years, even when we didn’t know what we were doing. We're still learning. Thank you for sticking with us, dear readers!