Member Spotlight – CherryRoad Media/The McPherson Sentinel
Brian Bloom of CherryRoad Media wants people to know that The McPherson Sentinel of today and tomorrow is not your grandfather’s newspaper. Readership has never been higher thanks to digital availability, he told those gathered at the Sentinel office for the February 8th Chamber Connection.
Some years under the last couple owners were rough, Bloom admitted. Local staff were laid off in favor of cheaper alternatives. But CherryRoad Media bought The McPherson Sentinel in 2021 and has been working diligently to turn it back into a publication vital to the community. Now fully staffed, it’s on it’s way.
“The challenge that we’re trying to do here, guys, is recreate the newspaper to be an important facet of your community again,” Bloom said.
Be watching for an initiative called Community Conversations. It’s an opportunity to give feedback about the content you’d like to see in The Sentinel. Because what McPherson wants to read might be different from what Newton wants or Dodge City or any other hometown paper.
“We want to build our paper compared to what you want, not what we want,” said Bloom. “This isn’t our paper. It’s yours.”
CherryRoad Media owns 105 local newspapers across the country (14 in Kansas) and 4 printing presses, including the one in Hutchinson, which prints The McPherson Sentinel and numerous other Kansas newspapers.
They are also unveiling a new magazine division. Progress 2024 will highlight the various aspects of the people and places that make McPherson County and Harvey County special. It will be published March 27th. The advertising deadline for any businesses interested is February 28th. Contact Sandra Harder at 785-639-1816 or by email.
The Sentinel publishes weekly on Wednesdays. Sports reporter Joel Muhs recognizes that Bullpup parents and other area sports fans can’t wait to see the scores and articles once a week, which is why he posts them immediately online and to X (formerly Twitter). A $7 monthly/$69 yearly subscription to the printed paper includes all online content as well. Or you can choose online access only for $4.99 per month. To subscribe, contact Deb Jacobsen at 316-283-1500 ext. 1 or by email.
Be sure to check out the photos from the February 8th Chamber Connection.
