The American newspaper is dead, right?

Not if you talk to Jim Thompson.

Thompson is the production manager at the (Cheyenne) Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, a moderate-circ (15,782, daily) newspaper that just plunked down more than $14 million to upgrade its production center and add a new press and mailroom.

And Thompson — like countless others — is sick and tired of hearing how bad off the newspaper industry is.

Yes, many big-city metros are suffering, and many, sadly, are being forced to cut staff.

But for every Sam Zell and debt-ridden Tribune Co., there are hundreds of families like the McCrakens, who own the Tribune-Eagle. And unlike papers that have been merged or plunked away in anonymous office or industrial parks far from their city-center roots, the Tribune-Eagle remains downtown and reigns as king of Cheyenne’s media roost.

Chuck Moozakis, Editor-In-Chief
Newspapers & Technology Magazine

 “It’s clear that the newspaper industry is facing challenges,” Thompson said. “But the fact of the matter is that community papers are growing and we remain strong.  Yes, there are changes, but the printed piece is not going away.”

Thompson is quick to add the Tribune-Eagle is fortunate. It’s located in a thriving region, thanks to the local energy boom. It’s based in the Wyoming state capital, and thus is the recipient for many of the state’s printing contracts. And outside of Fort Collins, Colo., 40 miles to the south, it’s the biggest — and only — city for miles.

But equally as important, the family that owns the Tribune-Eagle is committed to the publication and to the community it serves. It invested in new technology, and it’s laying a commercial printing foundation it believes will reap myriad financial benefits down the road.

“I think there’s a definite demand and there is more than enough work,” Thompson said about the Tribune-Eagle’s plans to woo additional commercial clients.

Big fish in a small pond? Perhaps, but at its core, the Tribune-Eagle’s role is no different than a Chicago Sun-Times or a Boston Globe: to serve its community and to provide the type of news and information that nobody else delivers.

And while I’m on the subject of offering unique perspectives, I want to introduce two new columns that are making their debuts this month in Newspapers & Technology.

The first, Focus on Free Papers, covers the community and free newspaper industry, a $4 billion business. You’ll find the first installment, by Craig McMullin, executive director of the Association of Free Community Papers, on page 18.

Our second columnist, Mel Taylor, will in his occasional installments attempt to answer a critical question facing newspaper execs: how to make money from the Internet. Taylor, a multimedia industry consultant, has some intriguing ideas. Look for his column on page 38.