Replies

Chad:

Interesting proposal. I like a person who has a dream and is looking for ways to implement it.

I've scanned the responses and thought I'd add some of my own.

You're right. Most of the "freebie" papers are very liberal in nature. Politically, I'm to the left of most folks here at FR, but to the right of the general public. When I pick up most of the "freebies" I'm often shocked by what I read. One paper in my area is devoted to gay issues, another centers on the performing arts but has Dr. Ruth type column that would shock a sailer. And let's face it, most performing arts and artists are far to the left. But you're right. They are loaded with ads. But look at the ads they carry. The paper I referred to carry's ads for the local "head shop" (I wonder what those rolling papers are really used for), lots of 900 numbers for dating (straight and gay) and tons of "Booby Bar" ads. Is that the type of advertising you want supporting your conservative paper? But then again, who else would you get? Those places seem to make money and have money to advertise.

Second, who are you going to get to write for your paper? I don't care what the people say here on FR, copyright is copyright. And people like Coulter, Will, and others are under contract by their syndicates. Print their stuff and you'll have a law suit faster than you can say Washington Post/LA Times. Same goes for copy from the major news and wire services. And yes, even the lib papers pay to print the Onion. So that leaves you with the also rans (and some of them are great writers who just haven't received the right promotion.) Yet at some point in time, they too will want $$$. You'll have to have someone, if not yourself solicit for advertising, do payroll, pay for distribution and distribution racks, compose and print.

It may be a wonderful labor of love that may blossom.

Regarding the internet, I think the same would hold true. I've seen numerous sights linked to from this site that are similar to what you are proposing. Many have languished. Why did FR, Drudge and Lucianne prosper? They served a niche when a niche was needed. Right place, right time right set of circumstances.

When there is no niche needed, it's very difficult. The others languish because that special niche hasn't been called for and they are also rans of FR, Drudge etal. There are probably 20 other conservative news forums, yet FR is tops. There are several News link websites, yet Drudge is tops.

Best of luck. If you have a dream, don't let anyone get in the way. Even if it fails, it will be a learning experience.

During the late 60s I worked on a left wing alternative paper (I was a heart bleeding environmentalist back then. But I've recovered.)

We were invovled with trying to stop a nuclear power plant in Skagit County, WA, and succeeded. One of the alumni was Joel Connely of the Seattle PI fame. There were others who used the Northwest Passage as a stepping stone, but they aren't in the area anymore. Success to them was a geographical change.

Anyway, we had people who wanted to spread the word, and were willing to work on doing it. Some wrote, as I did, some hawked ads, and others did what was fun and useful.

A couple or three years ago I was at a Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in Skagit County and our speaker was a conservative radio personality. After he spoke I waited in line to speak to him and I told him about my thoughts on getting a conservative "underground paper" up and running. He liked the idea. Even gave me his home phone number. I was swamped with putting out a lot of fires at the time and couldn't get back to him able to offer reasonable guarantees of time, money, etc. I just ran plum out of steam and have been fighting more or less the same old fires, but I think Chad Fairbanks is right; we do need a small alternative paper to cut throught the main media morass.

I believe we conservatives have to start small, just as the bong puffers did in the 60's. I laughed at their papers, one of which was the Seattle Weekly, which is now a lefitst copraphilic give away in all the coffee shops at least in Western WA.

You're right Chad. Let's get cracking on this. If the hippies could shut down a nuclear power plant, pass the state environmental legislation, and be quoted in our state capitol, then maybe some of us here and now can create a conservative wave. Waves have crests. A conservative wave crest could wash away a lot of the stuff that needs to go in this state.