Printing multiple publications at once was a learning experience

(This is the fourth in a series of articles I am writing that cover my 37 years as publisher of this newspaper.  Last week I wrote about Terry Forcht solving our printing problems.)

Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.

In the early 90s we had three newspapers, the News Journal, Pulaski Week and Laurel News Journal and two real estate magazines and hardly any area printing company could handle the load. I discussed this with our owner, Terry Forcht, and he suggested that we buy presses and start printing our newspapers.

Terry and I, along with a pressman we had hired, started visiting printing plants. We were preparing to start a new business to solve our printing problems. He built a beautiful printing facility in London, the center of our operations, and we followed that up by purchasing the needed presses, insert machines, mailing equipment, and all the other necessary equipment. It was a huge undertaking.

Publishing newspapers was something I had experienced for years but printing them was something else. As work progressed on building and installing the equipment Terry called me one Sunday afternoon and asked me what we should call our new operation. I hadn’t given it the first thought. After talking a few minutes Terry said, “Let’s call it Duke Printing.” That caught me off guard and then he explained that John Wayne, the Duke, was playing in a movie on TV at that time and why not call it Duke?

Thus, Duke Publishing got its name. Getting that operation going was probably the most taxing venture I had ever had. We had a couple of pressmen that knew enough to get us started, but there were so many other problems we had to conquer. If it wasn’t the inserter giving us problems, it would be the mailing machine, or several other things you get in a new venture.

Finally, after a few months we had things under control. We were printing nine newspapers and yet it was difficult to make a profit. This went on for a few years and Terry came up with another brilliant idea. He sold the presses to our competitor and leased the building to them.

Yes, brilliant! Community newspapers which published the Richmond, Somerset, London and Corbin newspapers would be printed there, along with our newspaper for a short period.

Terry had turned what had been an almost impossible situation for us to make a profit to one that was very profitable.

Now we were free to seek a printing plant elsewhere.  Jay Nolan, the owner of J. Frank Publishing in London made a proposal to us to print there. Nolan publishes several newspapers himself and he had purchased new presses. In my 37 years here, this is the best printing move ever to come our way. Not only did we get a better-looking print job, but the people we work with are the best ever.  I will forever be grateful to Jay Nolan for eliminating printing headaches that had plagued me for years.

It was also time to cease the Somerset and London papers. Those startup operations never had the success that we have had with our Whitley Republican and Corbin! This Week operations that eventually became the News Journal.

J. Frank Publishing also prints our real estate guides. This is a story that goes back to our first year of publishing this newspaper in 1987. The real estate magazines in this area were being published by an out-of-state firm. I asked the local realtors to meet with me at Yeary’s Restaurant in south Corbin.

I recall that meeting as if it was yesterday. I believe all realtors were there for my proposal. After going through it the late John Chandler asked me, “How do we know you won’t raise the prices next year?” I told them you have my word on it.

And other than the increase in cost for a full color magazine, we have not increased the price in 37 years. Although the magazine is smaller now because of the Internet, we still deliver thousands to businesses every month and people continue to pick them up. We also publish a real estate magazine in the Middlesboro and east Tennessee and Virginia areas.

Next week I will conclude this series of articles on my experiences here with why it is important that community newspapers continue to succeed.