ChristianWeek poised to
build
on its strengths
Few things are worse than having wonderful news but no one to share it with. Perhaps we feel it more sharply in the newspaper business where we make a living of passing along stories and updates. News people tend to resent delays, especially when the good news concerns us. But lessons in patience are good for everyone–especially reporters and editors.
The Air Canada pilots’ strike in September caused the delay, forcing us to postpone the annual meeting of the ChristianWeek board of directors. The lesson in patience lasted another six weeks. It wasn’t until the end of October that the board gathered in Winnipeg and we could finally report.
The two-day board meeting was busy–-as one could expect for the first in-person gathering in 18 months. Two new members joined the board: Sue Barkman, a senior financial and marketing executive with The Salvation Army’s national office in Toronto, and Geoff Bernardo, who runs a consulting and communications firm near Peterborough, Ontario.
The board ratified my appointment as publisher, a position I’ve held on an interim basis for several months. We were also able to thank Neil Janzen, who helped pilot the newspaper through rocky times with solid, prudent management and a gentle spirit.
Then, with a sigh of relief, came the moment to break the news. ChristianWeek, a 12-year-old national newspaper, is doing well. Thanks to the generous support of hundreds of readers CW is on solid ground. The crisis of the past year is over. CW is now poised to build on its historical strengths and become an even better news source. This was good news indeed for the board members, many of whom exhibited enormous commitment to resolving the difficulties of the past year. It was a pleasure for me to see them smile over the report that the organization is healthy and in a position to grow.
I’m sure you also welcome our good news. Over the past year the number of calls, e-mails, letters of support and encouragement–plus the financial donations–were the cornerstone of staff morale. It’s our goal to serve you better. In the works are a host of changes designed to make CW an even more compelling newspaper. I’d like to explain them but we’re still working out the details... we’ve learned our lesson in patience.
Bram Ryan
Publisher
