our view

A

little more than four months ago, the Rogue Valley Times barely existed.

Well, actually that’s not true. The Rogue Valley “Times” didn’t exist at all.

But back then, Jan. 27 to be precise, this news operation before you had but one employee — Dave Smigelski, who had been hired as Editor of the soon-to-be Times — and not much else.

Well, actually, that’s not true, either.

We had the backing and the faith of EO Media Group, the belief that Southern Oregon wasn’t ready to live without a newspaper, and the drive and dedication of the staff Smigelski quickly pieced together so as to make the Times a reality.

That part is true.

Over these past four months, so much has changed. Our website went live Feb. 6, with the first print edition of the Rogue Valley (name redacted due to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) appeared in mailboxes on Feb. 18.

Those first three weeks seemed like a whirlwind for those of us who gathered around a conference table graciously provided by our hosts, the Southern Oregon Historical Society, to bring this paper to life.

We shared extension cords to power our laptops. We all talked at once, as ideas flew around the room. We reminded each other when time was running short in our parking spots near the old JCPenney building.

It was an exhilarating — and exhausting — jump-start to this adventure into the Great Unknown.

Four months later, we’re still here — and we’re growing. In a time where the news about the news business is usually accompanied by the sound of sad trombones, the Rogue Valley Times can trumpet some successes.

Our readership, both online and in print, is growing. Our news staff has grown as well, with every intention to keep making additions. Next month, we will be thanking SOHS for putting up with us and moving to our new Main Street location.

Perhaps best of all, when our reporters, photographers and advertising sales staff reach out to the public, they don’t always have to explain what the Rogue Valley Times is anymore.

Our foundation has been established — name recognition, and public response is proof of that.

On this page, for instance, we have run 126 Letters to the Editor and 16 Guest Columns since launching. Readers are interacting, on rv-times.com and through social media, with our commitment to quality journalism.

Still, a foundation ultimately is only as strong as what is built upon it. As satisfying as these past four months have been, everyone who works here realizes this is only the start.

The reason we can make that promise is because of the support we’ve received from our other partner in this endeavor — you, the reader.

That we know we’ve begun to make our presence felt across the Rogue Valley only encourages us to do more, and to do better.

Four months, 120 or so days, a third of a year. In some ways, we feel as though we’ve been at this much longer.

Truth is, we know we’re just beginning.