By Michael Miner
She took the job. Eleven years later she’s still at the Tribune, one of its four reporters. “I didn’t think I was going to be here this long, believe me, but it kind of grew on me.”
“When we went daily I think seven daily papers were delivered in Chesterton,” Canright told me. “We were the eighth.” The Tribune, Sun-Times, and Daily News came in from Chicago, the Tribune from South Bend, the News-Dispatch from Michigan City, and the Vidette Messenger from Valparaiso. But the dominant daily in the region was Gary’s Post-Tribune.
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The Canrights somehow spotted an opportunity. “When we became a daily,” Canright said, “the Chesterton town council met on Mondays. The Porter town council met on Tuesdays, and our school board met on Mondays. That’s three big news stories, and we were having to get them in the Wednesday paper with essentially one reporter.” Enough was happening locally to warrant a daily paper, the Canrights reasoned, and the other dailies were simply too big to do it justice.
I’ll go, she said, but no farther than 100 miles from Chicago.
“It’s hyperniche marketing,” says reporter Jim Hale.
I had no idea what she was talking about.
