The announcement that EO Media Group is launching the Rogue Valley Tribune newspaper and website in Medford elicited news responses and stories in newspapers across the country.

An Associated Press story on the news was published in dozens — and, quite likely, hundreds — of newspapers, websites and television news stations.

A cursory review on the Internet showed reports of the start-up published in virtually every daily newspaper in the state, U.S. News & World Report, and in numerous out-of-state newspapers ranging from the Seattle Times to the Connecticut Post, the Tulsa World and the Houston Chronicle.

Why the burst of interest from so many locales for a newspaper opening in a relatively small city in a rural area of Oregon? No doubt it’s a least partly due to the man-bites-dog nature of the story, the twist that journalists find hard to resist.

Failed papers are old news; a new paper launching, now that’s something different. And newspaper journalists in particular are happy to note a glimmer of light in an industry that saw more than 2,000 newspapers pull the plug on their presses between 2005 and 2021.

Following are comments from several media members and advocates, from within Oregon and outside the state:

Francis L. Wick

“The closure of the Medford Mail Tribune is a reflection of the challenges local news organizations face today, culminating with nearly two decades of changes in readers’ habits; long term conditioning of news on the internet as free and digital advertising being commoditized and controlled by just a few Silicon Valley tech companies. …

“… (T)he long term success of the newly minted Rogue Valley Tribune will only occur through the support of local readers paying for subscriptions, participating in the news conversation, and local merchants purposefully engaging their local news organizations to service their advertising/marketing needs. Ultimately, the actions of local stakeholders, and how they value community news and information today, will be a hallmark reason why the Rogue Valley Tribune can serve the greater Medford area for years to come.”

— Francis L. Wick is president and CEO of Wick Communications, a family-owned, Arizona-based community media company with newspapers, websites, magazines and specialty publications in 11 states.

Patsy Smullin

“I couldn’t be more pleased that EO Media is starting a newspaper here. It’s a good solid company, Oregon-based, family-owned, conscientious — and they care.

“I think that newspapers provide a terrific community service. The information a newspaper provides helps the community understand the challenges it’s facing. A newspaper can be successful by continuing to work hard, continuing to listen to readers, continuing to ask the community what it needs and wants. There is still a niche for newspapers, and radio and television and social media.”

— Patsy Smullin is president and owner of KOBI-TV NBC 5, based in Medford.

Mark Garber

“As a family-owned company, (EO Media is) able to take a longer view, and they have shown they put journalism first, even as our industry goes through this massive transition in our business model.

“EO Media has the deep journalistic values and Oregon roots needed to be successful in Medford. The community there just experienced what it’s like to lose its newspaper. Many readers were mourning the absence of their daily companion. I think that experience will motivate readers, advertisers and community leaders to support EO Media’s efforts to bring back what they had lost.”