One of the coolest things about doing something for more than 30 years is the memories you make along the way.
As a political junkie – especially in regards to the city of Biddeford – it is extremely rewarding for me to have an archive of local political news that dates back nearly 30 years to the mid-1990s.
DISCLOSURE | Because he is now a political candidate in Biddeford, Sam Pecor no longer serves on the Biddeford Gazette’s Community Advisory Board.
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I am the only active reporter who remembers another young man who was also very excited about serving on Biddeford’s Charter Review Commission more than 10 years ago.
That young man won his election to the Charter Review Commission and used that opportunity to launch a successful political career. Today, that once enthusiastic teenager is the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.
In fairness, Ryan Fecteau actually started his political career as a student representative on the Biddeford School Committee while attending Biddeford High School.
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My wife, Laura – the Gazette’s publisher – was serving on the school committee at that time, and she was designated to be Fecteau’s coach and advisor.
That is one of our strengths at the Biddeford Gazette. We have unmatched institutional knowledge about the city of Biddeford, its politics and its people.
The Gazette can use and rely on that knowledge to offer our readers valuable context to important stories that impact our community.
I got thinking about all of this because the Gazette is still working on a feature story about Chuck Cote of Biddeford and his dedication to building and maintaining a fascinating archive of Biddeford’s sports and political history, especially when it comes to the former St. Louis High School.
The working title of that upcoming story is Taking A Walk Down Biddeford’s Memory Lane.
We interviewed Chuck last week. Why is it taking so long to publish a story that we know is being highly anticipated by many of our readers?
Primarily, because that story is complex and we consider it to be very important. Moreover, we care much more about doing a good job rather than doing a quick job.
What a long, strange trip it’s been
The Gazette’s historical archive comes primarily from my days as a reporter and editor for the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier from 1997 to 2006; as a freelance reporter for Saco Bay News (2023-2024) and from my personal blog, All Along the Watchtower that started in 1999 as a weekly column in the Courier and continued until I launched the Biddeford Gazette in Nov. 2024
CAUTION | My personal website is somewhat messy and in the process of being revamped, so please temper your expectations. It also contains coarse language.
A MUCH YOUNGER EDITOR | Randy Seaver reports from the roof of Biddeford City Hall in 2000 about the efforts to save the Lincoln Mill Clocktower that has been now wiped away from the city’s skyline
There is other stuff on my website, dating back to the early 1980s when I was working as a temporary, non-paid, student intern at the Journal Tribune, Biddeford’s former daily newspaper.
There is also stuff there from my days as collaborative research reporter and communications director for the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, a non-profit that covered fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and my time as senior associate at Barton & Gingold, one of Maine’s most respected political and public policy consulting firms.
While working at Barton & Gingold, I really enjoyed playing a role in shaping public policy issues that were sometimes controversial.
CONSULTANT RANDY SEAVER is flanked by former Biddeford City Manager John Bubier (left) and David Flood, publisher of Mainely Media (right) during a meeting at the Biddeford Saco Chamber of Commerce about a new federal health insurance tax proposal in 2015.
Shortly after Barton & Gingold was sold in 2014, I launched my own political consulting firm, Randy Seaver Consulting.
I still operate my own consulting practice, but I do not work for any clients or projects that could be connected to the city of Biddeford. That would be a glaring and unacceptable conflict of interest.
In closing, if you so desire you can find my installment of my Then & Now updates (Ryan Fecteau) at this link | All The Young Dudes, Redux
CORRECTION | Though it is grossly ironic and thus difficult to admit, this story contained a typographical error regarding its own historical context. I worked as a freelance reporter at Saco Bay News from 2023 to 2024, not starting in 2003, before Saco Bay News even existed. I am fortunate and grateful that I can still rely on my former editor Liz Gotthelf and her eagle-eye and penchant for accuracy. In retrospect, perhaps it’s time for this old geezer to be put out to pasture. We sincerely apologize for the error.
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That’s our opinion, and we welcome yours. You may submit either a guest column of the same length or a letter to the editor by contacting us at biddefordgazette@gmail.com.
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THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE |A Legacy of Trusted, Independent Journalism
I just learned from a reading a story in Saco Bay Newsthat Bill Johnson – a former Saco mayor and city councilor — recently passed away at the age of 92.
This news leaves a gaping hole. I regret losing touch with Bill.
He was such a kind and wise man, and he always offered sage and measured advice. I first met him almost 30 years ago after he had just been elected to transition from serving as a Ward One councilor to becoming the city’s mayor in 1997.
He was a new mayor, and I was a new reporter in Saco, despite having grown up in that city.
Bill Johnson (left) receives a service award from Saco Mayor Ron Michaud (Portland Press Herald)Fomer mayor Bill Johnson photo from City of Saco annual report)Bill and his wife, Mary, after donating two of their beloved donkeys to Sweetser (Sweetser photo)
Bill took me under his wing and offered me advice with his warm grin and elder-statesmen sense of discipline. He was always quick to smile and had a deep laugh.
He said he was happy to be working with a reporter who had a long and personal connection to the city.
We reporters are trained to not become personally connected to the government officials they cover, but I could not help myself.
Bill was just so decent, kind and patient — a perfect grandfather of sorts. He leaves behind a legacy of public service, a love for his community and a reputation for hard work and dedication to his family.
Bill was one of a kind; a man equally comfortable in a suit and tie at some government function; or wearing a flannel shirt and wandering Saco’s northwestern rural and pastoral neighborhoods.
Bill was just so decent, kind and patient — a perfect grandfather of sorts
The late 1990s were not the best of times for Saco. There was plenty of political tension, and Bill’s job as mayor was anything but easy.
The city was still rebounding from serious and consequential financial difficulties, but Bill was the right leader at the right time. He was quiet, measured and thoughtful. He never spoke an unkind word about anyone.
Bill Johnson will be missed . . . by me and by everyone who ever had the good fortune to cross paths with him.
Godspeed, Mr. Mayor.
May you eternally rest in peace, and may your memory never be forgotten, especially in the city you loved.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Randy Seaver is the editor of the Biddeford Gazette. He also was a reporter who covered the city of Saco from 1997 to 2006 for the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier and as a freelance reporter for Saco Bay News from 2023 to 2024.
NOTE: Some photos in this story were used without expressed permission. Those photos are attributed to their original source, but may be removed, if necessary.
DISCLOSUSURE | Randy Seaver’s stepsister, Jodi MacPhail, currently serves as mayor of Saco.
When journalists compete, readers win | Good news for people in Biddeford
Whether you’re buying a new car or just picking up the week’s groceries, you are always better off when you have choices and competition in the marketplace.
It’s no different when it comes to the highly competitive world of journalism. Having choices about where you get your local news ensures that you are well-informed and up to date about what is happening in your community.
Most journalists I know – me included – would rather have “exclusive rights” when it comes to local news reporting. We’re doing just fine. There’s no need for competition. Thank you very much.
But if there is only one dominant media outlet in any market – large or small –news consumers suffer.
Competition keeps journalists on their toes, hungry to find new and more detailed information. Competition also serves the public as an appropriate ‘check and balance’ on each reporter and every media outlet.
Bias and inaccuracy are exposed when multiple journalists cover the same beat.
The idea – and the importance – of “getting the scoop” is a well-known mantra, that even those outside the realm of the so-called Fourth Estate understand and appreciate.
But getting the scoop should be much more focused on getting the story right rather than getting the story first.
So, how does all of this impact local news consumers in Biddeford?
What’s the buzz? Media competition in Biddeford
The local news landscape in the Biddeford area has changed dramatically over the last 30 years.
I have written about this subject ad-nauseam on my personal blog, Lessons in Mediocrity.
I grew up here, and when I returned to Biddeford in the mid-1990s, there were three newspapers regularly covering City Hall, local politics, news and events.
The Portland Press Herald – Maine’s largest daily newspaper – had a fully-staffed regional bureau on Main Street. The legendary and award-winning Journal Tribune – an afternoon daily – was then “the paper of record.”
At the same time, the weekly Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier – a locally-owned publication — was keeping the big boys on their toes, filling the gaps and providing (during my tenure as editor) a somewhat manic approach to covering City Hall.
What happened?
For all intents and purposes, it was like a slow-acting bomb was triggered. There were a lot of things at play, most notably corporate restructuring of local media and big changes in how consumers accessed their news and information.
Welcome to the internet and social media.
Suddenly, everyone was a reporter. The Fourth Estate was being overrun by a mob of discontented citizens who no longer trusted the media or valued its self-described role as guardians of local news and information.
The Journal Tribune – after more than a century of providing local news in Biddeford – permanently closed its doors in October 2019. The Press Herald closed its regional bureau; and the Courier was sold and then – just last year – ceased publishing its print edition and was folded into an electronic newsletter distributed by the Press Herald.
Rising from the ashes
It may have happened slowly, but over time folks in the Biddeford area realized that they were living in a vacuum of local news coverage. The local newspapers were always taken for granted.
Many of us didn’t recognize how lucky we were to have three independent, professional publications covering Biddeford news.
Not surprisingly, it was a local journalist who took the very first step in filling the news vacuum in Biddeford.
Liz Gotthelf, a former Journal Tribune reporter, launched Saco Bay News – a digital publication – only months after her employer sent her and her co-workers packing in 2020.
Liz Gotthelf (Saco Bay News photo)
It likely would have been easier for Liz to find a job at another newspaper or go into the much more lucrative field of public relations. But with tenacity and grit, she almost single-handedly built a trusted, local media source.
Saco Bay News does an excellent job of covering local news, but since Liz is basically running it as a one-person show, she is stretched thin and challenged by simultaneously covering three communities: Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach.
Another fighter enters the ring
Almost two years ago, I found myself increasingly frustrated about some local issues, including Biddeford’s brash and rather obnoxious former city manager and a lack of coverage about a controversial project put forth by the University of New England.
In November of 2024, I tentatively launched the Biddeford Gazette as a special section on my blog. Two months later – following my wife’s suggestion – I formally launched the Gazette as a stand-alone publication.
Biddeford is the largest community in York County, and the eighth-largest city in Maine. I thought the city deserved its own news source.
I doubt that Liz – a good friend and former co-worker – was very happy about a new competitor, but readers almost immediately embraced the Gazette because of its commitment to be a Biddeford-only publication.
There’s an old saying: “Write what you know.”
Well, I know Biddeford. My family’s roots here go back generations. I was raised on the third-floor of a Quimby Street triple decker and received First Communion at St. Mary’s.
Heck, I even had a paper route delivering the Journal Tribune in the 1970s.
As a professional journalist, I have been covering the city of Biddeford for nearly 30 years. Thus, I have a somewhat unfair advantage over Liz and various reporters from the Press Herald. I know this city and its people, and they know me.
The media landscape continues to change
Today, any person with a smartphone and an internet connection can set themselves up as a journalist or as “a community reporter.”
That’s a good thing, and that’s a bad thing. Allow me to explain.
Last year, during a small, community symposium about local media issues that was hosted by The Maine Monitor at the McArthur Library, several folks raised concerns about how to “separate the wheat from the chaff.”
In an age of rampant internet communication, how are consumers supposed to discern and distinguish the news being fed to them, asked Susan Gold, a veteran journalist who once worked at the Journal Tribune.
Sadly, there is no easy answer to that question.
As I said at the top, increased competition among the media is good for you, but you have to be careful.
A few months ago, another digital media outlet emerged in Biddeford.
The Biddeford Buzz was launched last summer by Josh Wolfe, a man who was reportedly less than satisfied with the area’s existing news coverage, especially the Gazette.
The Biddeford Buzz may not be my cup of tea. Josh has had no editorial training or professional news experience prior to launching his own publication. For example, the Buzz recently published a story about a political candidate simply by “copying and pasting” something the candidate wrote on Facebook. She called me to complain. “He [Wolfe] never even called me,” she said.
But what Mr. Wolfe may lack in experience, he more than compensates with enthusiasm and a dogged desire to keep other reporters on their own toes.
Unlike many other reporters, Wolfe has become a regular fixture at Biddeford City Council meetings. He has a near perfect attendance record, always sitting up front and eager to cover even rather benign city issues.
Furthermore, — and perhaps most importantly — the Biddeford Buzz gives its readers and others another platform to share their own news and opinions about the city of Biddeford. That’s very important, especially for people who have a rather dim view of the Gazette or other local publications.
More choices often lead to better outcomes, and at least Biddeford consumers are no longer living in a news vacuum
CORRECTION: The original article contained an error. The Journal Tribune closed in October 2019, not in 2020. The story has been updated, and we apologize for the error.
Roughly a dozen people gathered Tuesday at the McArthur Library in Biddeford to discuss local journalism and a rapidly changing media landscape.
The event was part of a statewide listening tour coordinated by The Maine Monitor, an online publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, and intended to collect public feedback about how people perceive and access local news.
The July 29 event in Biddeford was co-sponsored by Saco Bay News, an online digital news outlet founded by former Journal Tribune reporter Liz Gotthelf in 2020.
“We’re here tonight to listen to you,” said Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, executive director of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. “We want to know what matters to you when you access news about your community. How do you get your news, and what are the essential things you look for from local media?”
Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman and Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail attended the workshop meeting.
Josh Keefe, a government accountability reporter with the Maine Monitor, shares highlights of a break-out group discussion about local journalism during Tuesday’s event at the McArthur Library. (Seaver photo)
“One of the things I hear all the time from my constituents is that they often don’t know about things happening in the city because they don’t know where to find the information,” MacPhail said.
During his remarks, Grohman touched upon a common theme that was shared by many of the attendees: a lack of a daily print newspaper.
“I’m constantly looking for credible news,” Grohman said. “With so many different things online, it can be difficult to find credible news.”
Those attending the meeting were largely over the age of 50 and many of them reported having a hard time getting news that is both locally relevant and comprehensive.
Susan Gold of Saco is a former reporter and editor who worked many years at the Journal Tribune, the former daily newspaper that served northern York County for more than a century.
“It’s great that local governments are doing more to share news about what is happening in the community, but we also need an unbiased person to explain what is actually happening, and we need to be able to trust the accuracy of those reports,” Gold said.
According to Schweitzer-Bluhm, rural communities across Maine are being hit especially hard by a changing media landscape that has seen newsrooms shrink and local coverage evaporate.
“The heyday of print journalism gave readers coverage of town government but also issues that bind the community, whether it’s high school sports, obituaries or public notices about meetings and events,” she explained.
In just the last decade, the Biddeford-Saco area has seen a seismic change in how local news is gathered and shared.
The Portland Press Herald once maintained a local bureau on Main Street in Biddeford that housed operations for reporters, photographers and editors who covered news and events throughout Northern York County.
In 2020, the Journal Tribune, an afternoon daily newspaper based in Biddeford, ceased publication. And the weekly Biddeford-Saco Courier, which was locally owned and operated, was sold to a media conglomerate and ceased print publication earlier this year.
Those changes have many residents wondering where to turn when it comes to finding credible and accurate local news.
Several people said social media sites such as Facebook are filling some of the void when it comes to news and information, but also said social media has many pitfalls, including questionable accuracy and fairness.
“You have people attempting to report news who have no editorial oversight or training,” one woman said.
Ted Sirois of Saco said he misses the opportunity to write letters to the editor and finds himself concerned about bias in news reporting.
Today the Biddeford Saco area is served by three digital news platforms. Saco Bay News is an independent online-only publication that covers the communities of Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach.
The Biddeford Gazette, started in January this year, is another independent, online-only publication that provides hyper-local coverage of Biddeford news and events.
The Courier is now delivered as an electronic, weekly newsletter that also covers Northern York County.
The Portland Press Herald, Maine’s largest daily newspaper, today rarely covers day-to-day, local news in the Biddeford-Saco area.
“It’s certainly not like the old days,” bemoaned former Biddeford City Councilor Patricia Boston. “I miss the days of print newspapers, but I do my best to follow news in both the Gazette and Saco Bay News. It’s important for people to know what is happening in their community.”
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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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We learned yesterday that the weekly Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier will no longer be printed and now accessible only in digital form, online.
This is just part of a global trend in the newspaper industry. Let’s face facts. The cost of printing and distribution are significant.
But while technology marches onward, there are still many painful consequences. Nearly 50 employees got layoff notices yesterday from the Courier’s parent company, the Maine Trust for Local News.
Regardless of how you feel about evolving technology, we are entering an era that is making human workers more irrelevant with each passing day.
It’s not just newspapers. There are no more phone books. No more encyclopedia salesmen. EZ Pass reduces the need for human toll booth workers. Self-checkout at the grocery store, shopping online and using ATM cards are all part of the equation.
For older people who may be a bit skittish about apps, streaming television and AI (artificial intelligence), many of these changes (advancements?) are uncomfortable, if not downright terrifying.
When my children were growing up, I often told them: “Your environment does not adapt to you. You must adapt to your environment.” It’s a matter of survival.
But this latest news about the Courier leaves me feeling a bit nostalgic and a bit sad.
I am personally connected to this story nine ways from Sunday.
Let’s backup for a second. For more than 50 years, newspapers have been part of my life, first as a paperboy for the York County Coast Star, the Journal Tribune and the Portland Press Herald.
I dreaded Sundays because the weight of those Maine Sunday Telegram issues were more than twice as thick as their daily counterparts and quite heavy. I had to break my route up on Sundays simply because I could not fit all of the papers into my over-the-shoulder sack.
Even as a young boy, I had a fascination with news and politics. In high school, I even landed a short gig as an intern in the Journal Tribune’s newsroom.
Over the years, I wrote for a few different publications, but it was the Courier where I made my mark.
Today, I own and operate an online-only “newspaper.”
I was lucky enough to work for the Courier back in the good ol’ days, when the paper was still locally owned and operated.
I very much doubt that the Courier’s current owners have even visited Biddeford, but still, they have the audacity to promote the paper by describing its coverage as “hyper-local.”
Ummm . . . not really hyper-local . . . . whatever that is supposed to mean.
It’s been a long time since I have seen a Courier reporter cover City Hall. I did not see a reporter from the Courier at this year’s Winterfest festival.
When Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman scheduled a community event to support the family of a fallen police officer, the Courier was not there to cover it, but did publish a story a few days later. Liz Gotthelf from Saco Bay News was there. I was there, representing the Biddeford Gazette but that was it for media coverage during the actual event.
Make no mistake. It’s not the reporter’s fault. It is a situation playing out in newsrooms all over the country, where ad revenue trumps news coverage.
I very much doubt that the Courier’s current owners have even visited Biddeford, but still, they have the audacity to promote the paper by describing its coverage as “hyper-local.”
I Want To Be Sedated
Sydney Richelieu is today the primary reporter for the Courier. Her editors expect her to cover six communities every single week. Think about that for a minute.
Richelieu is responsible for covering news in Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Arundel, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. I don’t care who you are or how hard you work, that beat is a really big nut to crack.
Consider this. When I left the Courier in 2006, we had four full-time reporters (including me) covering the same geographic area.
Today, the Maine Trust for Local News expects one reporter to cover the same beat that was previously covered by four reporters. The Maine Trust for Local News has set Sydney up for failure even before she inherited the beat last year.
The folks at the Maine Trust for Local News love to bloviate about their dedication to “local journalism,” but maybe they should put some of their money into the newsroom, you know? Local journalism?
The Courier and the Portland Press Herald are both owned and operated by the same company, so don’t expect the state’s largest daily newspaper to step in and fill in the cracks. The way they see it, Biddeford and Saco are already covered.
Newspapers – including both tabs (tabloids) and broadsheets — are printed in four-page increments. In order to cover costs, roughly 60 percent of the newspaper needs to be covered by paid advertisements.
When I left the Courier, we were consistently publishing 44-page papers. Today, the Courier is merely a shadow of itself, hovering around 16 pages (not including advertising inserts).
I’ll close with some good news for the Courier. This move by their parent company removes their handcuffs of being published just once a week. Now they can more effectively compete with the other digital publications in this area, Saco Bay News and the Biddeford Gazette.
Being online allows journalists to be nimbler, to be in a better position to scoop some breaking news. Something that hasn’t happened at the Courier in a long time.
As a Biddeford resident who appreciates and values local news from a variety of sources, I hope that this recent transition returns the Courier to its rightful position as a competitive, local news source.
We’ll see.
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The Courier and many other newspapers throughout southern Maine, including daily and weekly publications, are owned by the Maine Trust for Local News.
Carolyn Fox, executive editor of the Maine Trust for Local News, said the decision was “difficult,” but pointed out that a dwindling number of people rely on printed publications as their primary news source.
“To sustain and grow impactful journalism in Maine, we have to meet our readers where they are,” Fox said. “Our digital expansion creates a stronger foundation for the Maine Trust, and we’re excited to build on that in partnership with the communities we serve.”
The move to a digital platform will result in 49 layoffs of employees who print and distribute the newspapers. Fox said her company is planning to add employees to its newsrooms later this year.
The Biddeford-Saco Courier — a free weekly publication — was created and launched by David and Carolyn Flood of Saco in 1989. The paper was distributed in residential neighborhoods and available on newstands.
The Floods — who now live in Delaware — sold the Courier and several of its sister publications to the publishers of the Journal Tribune in 2007. The daily Journal Tribune newspaper closed its doors in 2019.
Flood said he was surprised by the announcement but acknowledged the industry trend. “Personally, I think printed papers are easier to read,” Flood said.
Liz Gotthelf, the publisher of Saco Bay News — another online news source in the Biddeford-Saco area — said she was not surprised by the announcement.
“To sustain and grow impactful journalism in Maine, we have to meet our readers where they are,”
– Carolyn Fox, executive editor, Maine Trust for Local News
“I think publishing local news online is a way to reach a wider range of readers,” Gotthelf said. “By focusing on a digital platform, it makes things so much easier and less expensive. Also, there are not many places that have a printing press.”
Currently, the Courier’s online presence is connected to its parent company’s web site, which can only be accessed with a paid subscription. The Courier has always been a free publication, so it remains unclear if readers will be able to access the publication without a subscription.
Both Flood and Gotthelf say they will be closely watching the Courier’s transition.
People seeking local news and information in the Biddeford-Saco area will now have three online media outlets to choose from, including the Biddeford Gazette and Saco Bay News.
Laura Seaver, publisher of the Biddeford Gazette, said the announcement was expected for a long time. “This puts everyone on a level playing field,” she said.
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There’s no denying it. This is not your father’s news industry anymore. That’s good news, but it’s also very bad news.
I’m writing this because there were three significant local changes in the news industry that happened in just the last two weeks.
More about that in just a moment.
Traditional, legacy media outlets are no longer the sole guardians of truth and justice, and that fact — like it or not – will impact you — and it might even hurt you.
For centuries, newspapers, (and then later) radio and television news operations kept an immeasurable amount of gravitas in their pants’ pocket, like so many nickels and dimes. The publishers, editors (and oftentimes the reporters) took your trust in them for granted.
Nearly 300 years ago, Edmund Burke, a member of British Parliament, reportedly coined the term “Fourth Estate” to describe the press, pointing out its obligations as a check in government oversight and its responsibility to frame political issues as well as to be an advocate for the general public.
Pretty big responsibility, eh?
The industry that was once the trusted and almost sole gatekeeper of vital public news and information is now scrambling, desperately trying to find a way to remain relevant or at least financially solvent.
So, what are the threats and challenges facing both you as a news consumer and traditional media outlets?
First and foremost, social media platforms are taking over the distribution of news and information. There are no more paperboys and even newsrooms are shifting away from brick-and-mortar structures.
In survey after survey; in poll after poll, one fact becomes abundantly clear. Consumers want their news on their schedule (on demand). Readers also try to skirt paywalls, no longer seeing the value of paid news subscriptions.
Readers today gravitate toward click-bait headlines and “news” websites that match their own political ideology.
Photo: The Death of the Newspaper Industry | John W. Hayes)
Never-ending competition, a 24-7 news cycle and the disturbing rise of AI (artificial intelligence) all remain as threats to established and not-so-established news outlets.
And to top it off, reader trust in traditional news outlets is plummeting faster than shares of K-Mart stock.
In his Nov. 29, 2022 opinion column, Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby pointed to a recent Gallup report, which revealed that just one out of three Americans claimed to have a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of confidence in the media.
We could talk all day about the national news scene and the spiraling demise of legacy media, but let’s take a deeper look at the news on a local level, right here where it hurts the most.
Today, almost everyone is a journalist – or so they believe. All you need is a keyboard and an internet connection and its off to the races.
While I love certain aspects of “citizen journalism” it does sort of invite a Wild, Wild West approach in reporting news.
These citizens journalists typically do not have editors or the resources of an editorial board. They have no professional training. Ethics and objectivity are now electives, no longer requirements.
In other ways, however, these pesky citizen journalists and their social media followers do keep some much needed pressure on those Fourth Estate guys, the traditional legacy media outlets.
We’re not in Kansas anymore
Speaking of legacy, traditional media, the Bangor Daily News (BDN) – Maine’s preeminent source of political news – decided last week to shut down its editorial board. The paper will no longer have an Op-Ed (Opinion-Editorial) section.
I found that news strange. It struck me as counter-intuitive, especially since so many people are saying that readers are flocking toward opinion and away from objective news reporting.
While I love certain aspects of “citizen journalism” it does sort of invite a Wild, Wild West approach in reporting news.
In aJan. 24 column, the BDN described the move as “the end of an era.”
Susan Young, the paper’s opinion editor, said the news was “bittersweet.”
“Far too few people read opinion content, so we have to try different things,” Young told me during an online conversation, saying the decision was influenced by the paper’s digital analytics.
The BDN’s decision will also mean the end of rigorous and highly regarded opinion columns from people like Amy Fried on the political left to Matt Gagnon on the political right.
Still closer to home, the publishers of the Biddeford-Saco Courierannounced on Wednesday that they will now offer their subscribers a digital weekly update via email.
That “announcement” dropped exactly two weeks after I formally launched the Biddeford Gazette, a free digital newspaper dedicated to covering Biddeford news, opinion and events.
For more than 30 years, the Courier has relied upon free delivery of its print publication at newsstands or tossed into the driveways of private homes.
The Courier was founded and locally owned by David and Carolyn Flood. A few years ago, the paper was then sold to the owner of the now defunct Journal Tribune, a daily newspaper that was later acquired by the daily Portland Press Herald. Today, the Press Herald owners also contributor several weekly and daily publications throughout central and southern Maine.
Courier reporter Sydney Richelieu announced the “inaugural edition” of “Biddeford-Saco | Now” in an email sent to subscribers. The move, she said, is designed to offer readers another option in finding out what is happening in their community.
I have some unsolicited advice for Sydney and the Courier’s editors, please stop printing press releases and then labeling them with a byline of “Staff Reports.”
Otherwise, I am quite pleased that you guys finally want to step up your game in covering local news.
To be honest, I have a bit of an advantage over the other guys. I’m a Biddeford native and resident, and I have been covering Biddeford for nearly three decades. I have a stockpile of sources and lots of time on my hands.
Just a few days ago, a close friend of mine remarked that other local publications are now starting to pay more attention (deservedly so) to the city of Biddeford, since I launched the Gazette.
That’s actually really good news, especially for the people of Biddeford.
The other guys may not like the fact that I am now in the mix, but they should remember the folks at the Journal Tribune were none too happy when the Courier was launched in 1989; and the folks at the Courier were none too happy that Saco Bay Newscame along in 2019 and showed off the nimble advantages of being a digital publication.
Increased competition does not help the Courier, Saco Bay News or the Biddeford Gazette, but it does keep a fire lit under our asses; and that is good news for readers.
The people of Biddeford should not have to rely upon just one reporter for the news that matters to them.
Competition keeps reporters motivated, but more importantly – it keeps them in check.
The Biddeford Gazette is not trying to put anyone else out of business. In fact, the opposite is true.
The Biddeford Gazette uses its own social media pages on Facebook, BlueSky and X to round up and share local news stories from other media companies. No one else does that.
You read that right. We take the time to share news from the other guys on our social media pages. And when you click to read those stories, you are not directed to our website, instead all the postings will link automatically to whatever source produced the news, whether it’s Saco Bay News, the Courier or WGME-TV.
Please visit our new Facebook page and follow us to experience a new level of local news coverage.
Whenever or wherever news about Biddeford is published, we will be there to make sure you know about it.
That’s my mission. That’s my passion.
I value your trust.
I will not stop.
Editor’s Note: This is a corrected version of an earlier story. The Biddeford-Saco Courier was originally acquired by the publisher of the Journal Tribune, not the Portland Press Herald. We regret the error and apologize for any confusion it may have caused.
Note:This is an unedited interview that contains coarse language, which some readers may find offensive.
By RANDY SEAVER | Editor
Although he wears many hats, Richard Rhames of Biddeford could probably best be described with just three words: authentic, passionate and persistent.
Rhames, 78, is a well-known commodity at City Hall. He is an outspoken member of the public, a former city councilor and a tireless member of the both the city’s Conservation Commission and Cable Television Committee.
Richard Rhames | The proverbial fly in the ointment to many of Biddeford’s well-heeled political and business class interests. And he’s not backing down anytime soon (Seaver photo)
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Over the last four decades, Rhames has developed a reputation as someone who means what he says and says what he means. He rarely pulls punches when criticizing local leaders and their policies; and he is always willing to fight even when he knows the odds are insurmountably stacked against him.
Today, Richard and wife Pat own and operate Shady Brook Farm on outer West Street. That 80-acre farm has been in Rhames’ family for three generations, and the land represents one of the last family-owned farms in the area.
Rhames, who serves as president of the Saco Valley Land Trust, laments the loss of small farms, but keeps his hands firmly on the plow in a time when farming has pretty much become a corporate enterprise.
“If farming was easy, everyone would do it,” he said with a wry grin. “Let me assure you, nothing about farming is easy.”
To the casual observer, it seems that Rhames is always willing to do things the hard way. He dismisses the notion of going along to get along.
Sticking to his principles and beliefs has cost Richard some friends and his seat at the table of local power, where he was widely considered a thorn-in-the side of the Chamber of Commerce types.
Richard was an at-large member of the Biddeford City Council when the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred. Within days, the council had decided to place miniature American flags along the council dais. There was one flag in front of each councilor.
At the beginning of the next council meeting, Rhames used his arm to move the flag to his side as he was spreading out paperwork. A fellow city councilor expressed outrage, and a reporter from the Journal Tribune wrote that Rhames had “shoved the flag away.”
The public was largely unforgiving. It was a time of hyper-patriotism and there was little tolerance for anything deemed to be “un-American.”
Rhames had already been long criticized for his questioning of U.S. policies in the Middle East, including Iraq. He was unapologetic. Just a few weeks later, Biddeford voters showed him the door.
“I never shoved the flag,” he said. “But the damage was done. The political class was not happy with me, and they gladly grabbed onto a piece of red meat.”
Rhames never stopped sharing his political views. He wrote a regular column in both the Journal Tribune and the Biddeford-Saco Courier. Much of his written work focused on labor issues, workers’ rights and conservation issues.
He is a long-time advocate for single-payer healthcare and says if the city is serious about the issue of affordable housing, the best weapon to bring to that fight is municipally-mandated rent control.
He is also a fairly well-known musician, playing rhythm guitar with two different bands throughout the area.
What got you involved in local government?
“It was the airport. Back in the ‘70s, they started pushing a plan to build a cross-wind runway. They intended to buy the George Fogg property, which was between the paved part of Granite Street Extension and the town line. That’s always been the wet dream – – the cross-wind runway.
“I started going to Planning Board meetings and council meetings. I was probably the only guy in town who had actually read the master plan. I mean, who are we kidding? Master plan? Fuck that. It was supposed to be a done deal. The powerful people, the people with connections; it was what they wanted.
“Because Mayor [Babe] Dutremble was pissed that some of his political friends had been moving forward behind his back, he shut it down all by himself. It was in the papers, the York County Coast Star and the Journal.
“Then about 10 years later, in the mid-1980s, it came back again, with a vengeance. The new plan was even more grandiose. It would have Biddeford become a reliever for the Portland Jetport. We were going to get the freight shipments; it would have included 60,000-pound aircraft. They dream big, here in Biddeford. The FAA loved it, you know? And they thought they had it.
I mean, who are we kidding? Master plan? Fuck that. It was supposed to be a done deal. The powerful people, the people with connections; it was what they wanted.
–Richard Rhames
“We fought it. They wanted to change the zone to Industrial. That’s back when wetlands were just dismissed as swamps. We got some other people riled up and involved, and at one of our first neighborhood meetings we came up with a name at the supper table: NOISE (Neighbors Organized In Stopping Expansion).”
You have often complained about the fact that there is so little public participation in city meetings.
“In order to know what’s going on, you got to be there all the fucking time. And you’ve got to have no life, which is ideal for me. (Laughs)
But it’s not just local issues that get you fired up.
“Yeah, well you know. If I’m pissed about something, I’m going to stand up and say something. I don’t know any other way to be. I have this bad attitude, right?
“When I was younger, I could have gone back to teaching (public school). I was no longer 1A. I didn’t have to fight the draft anymore. When I grew up, I remember watching television and all the incessant propaganda. The whole mantra: the Russians are coming; the Russians are coming. The constant beating of the drum. The propaganda. The free world.
“I grew up in the ‘60s. I mean we were all drinking from the same propaganda trough, but it was the draft that literally forced a lot of young people to start recognizing what was happening, even though I went to a little white-bread Midwest college.
“I was as unquestioning as anyone else back then, until all this shit started happening. We had access to libraries and learning opportunities. We did this bus caravan thing. We went to Midland, Michigan, the home of Dow Chemical.
“I grew up in the ‘60s. I mean we were all drinking from the same propaganda trough, but it was the draft that literally forced a lot of young people to start recognizing what was happening”
— Richard Rhames
“We were all white bread kids; nobody had long hair; we were wearing suits at the march and the locals hated us because we had a rally in the park (Laughs).
“But we were earnest, and we had been looking into this a little bit. Most of us had some idea about the history of southeast Asia; how we took over for France in Vietnam. There was a history there that the newspapers never reported, but we came to understand that it was really fucked up; and why would anybody want to die for that?
“But to openly resist meant costs. Most of us were banking on what we were taught since elementary school: that we had some kind of career waiting for us in regular society.”
Do you ever get tired of fighting the good fight?
“I’m pissed, and I have been pissed for a long time. I don’t find that hope is terribly motivating. You gotta be pissed. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t right what we did on the grand scale.
“Even today, as much as the whole thing in Palestine is wrong, the Israelis, the Zionists, are pikers compared to the United States of America. The body count that we have rung up during my lifetime is really fucking impressive.
“Nobody talks about it, but if you want somebody killed, call us. We’ll either provide you with the weapons; better yet, we’ll do it ourselves. We’re really good at that. Spending a trillion dollars a year on the military? That’s easy.
“But if you speak up, they come after you. It’s dangerous, Randy. Why did they come after me the way they did after 9/11? Why have they come after me, including you, . . . why was I such a target? You know? This unassuming clodhopper with the big words and all that shit, you know? Why was I the target?
“Because I was willing to stand up and say this shit.”
What do you think about all the changes as Biddeford becomes a destination community?
“We were last in line. We had the incinerator [MERC]. They stopped pulping in Westbrook and that city began to gentrify almost immediately, and Westbrook isn’t placed nearly as well as we are. Against all the political odds . . . and the only reason that we got rid of the incinerator is because they wanted to leave . . . they [Casella Waste Systems] were ready to go.
“It always kills me, I guess it shouldn’t — when Alan [Casavant] expresses surprise, disbelieving; and talks about how quickly the shift started, how much things changed once we got rid of MERC. It would have happened anyway, but you had this whole Heart of Biddeford gentrifying, national advertising campaign. The whitewashing of Biddeford culture.
“We created a myth of what Biddeford is in order to entice new people to come here and exploit us, which they are doing.
“But we haven’t learned. The political class is still bending over backwards to subsidize private development.
“. . . you had this whole Heart of Biddeford gentrifying, national advertising campaign. The whitewashing of Biddeford culture.”
— Richard Rhames
“I keep telling them: Isn’t it time to pump the brakes a little? You don’t have to beg people to come here anymore. There’s no incinerator anymore. We’ve got all this ocean frontage, river frontage and all these old buildings from when Biddeford was the Detroit of New England.”
You are one of the most strident and vocal supporters of public access community television, even as the city slides further away from televised meetings to online forums.
“When we started with public access, there was some good stuff on the channel, but the political class was always uncomfortable. It frightened them because they couldn’t control the message.
“We used media for public education, to pull back the curtain and give information that you really couldn’t find anywhere else. It was good stuff, and I was never home.
“We were doing advocacy for ordinary people. You don’t generally find that on the airwaves. Who wants to do research to make a point? T.V. is something done to you now.”
Any thoughts on running for office again?
(Sighs) “I’m too old. My time is over. I understand how the world works. I’m not the one. I’m just not the one.”
EDITOR’S NOTE | This interview I conducted and wrote was originally published in Saco Bay News on May 14, 2024. This is the unedited version of that story.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He has been covering Biddeford news and politics for nearly three decades. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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