On Feb. 5, as president of the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association, I received the following communication from Bill Peterson, president of Prairie Free Press Newspapers Inc., the publishers of the Saskatoon and Regina Free Press newspapers.
Re: Free Press Future, the fax read: “Just wanted to give you some advance notice that the Free Press is in trouble… “We’ve pretty well been through all the options for industry partners, none of whom are anxious to come into Saskatchewan. We’re going to give a home grown solution, more advertising, one more shot.”
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The paper, with a front page story outlining its situation, published on Feb. 7.
The result was enough advertising to publish again on Feb. 14. Unfortunately, there was not enough long-term advertising to sustain the paper, and on Feb. 17th, the announcement was made that the papers had folded.
I was driving to Regina when the closure was announced. I was scheduled that evening to speak at a journalism seminar at which Bill Peterson usually presides. Since he had other things to do in Saskatoon that day, his cohort Paul Martin took over the class, a subdued Paul Martin, but one who knew he had fought the good fight.
The Free Press published for just over two years.
The day the first edition came off the presses, I was in Royal University Hospital. I had been rushed in the afternoon before with a Crohns attack. Bill was scheduled to speak in Saskatoon that evening. My doctor gave me permission to go, but when Demerol didn’t allay the pain I knew it was no use.
The next evening, a tired Bill arrived in my hospital room bearing the first copy of the first issue of the Saskatoon Free Press. He had gone back to the plant after his speech, worked all night and all day, and before going home to sleep made a quick trip to the hospital to bring me a paper.
The paper wasn’t to be delivered until the next day, so I hid it away and read it surreptitiously in the dead of night.
Just over two years later, that copy of the paper still rests in my files. I tried to give it back once but Bill refused it.
On Feb. 20, our weekly newspaper association held the awards for our Better Newspapers Competition.
In a stroke of irony, the Saskatoon Free Press came second in its class for the Best All Around Paper. The Regina Free Press was third.
Two voices that reflected their communities which are now forever stilled.
Mice just can’t play on an equal footing with elephants.
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