In August 2022 I was appointed the publisher of a group of three community newspapers, collectively known in Forum Communications Co. as the "Lakes Group." I hadn't been a full-time publisher in a number of years, but I saw an opportunity to return to working in the community newspaper space. And while the gig only lasted 10 months before an eventual company restructuring, it was one of the most rewarding professional stints I've ever had. Hats off the the staffs at the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Perham Focus and Wadena Pioneer Journal for welcoming this old newspaper hack for a great run!
Oct. 12, 2022
By Devlyn Brooks
This week we are excited to share with readers that you will see inserted into our newspaper publications a premium product that to some might seem exciting and new, and to others a product reimagined with new zest!
In Detroit Lakes, that means that the fall “Laker Book,” a project that is annually loved by readers, will be inserted into our Wednesday Tribune, a little bit later than last year and with a new focus. More on that later.
In Perham and Wadena, Focus and Pioneer Journal readers will be introduced to the “Jacket Book” and the “WDC Sports Guide,” respectively. These bright white magazines are inspired by the “Laker Book,” which has long been a staple provided to Tribune readers. These new products will be inserted in this week’s Thursday editions.
So what are these projects? In short, they could be described as mini-year books for each season’s sports. So, for instance, these three products serve as a recap of the 2022 fall sports seasons for each of the schools.
There are high quality photos of athletes, excellent team photos identifying the participants on each of the teams, rosters of the athletes and coaches and even schedules. Again, they could be summed up as mini-year book sections for each sports season, but they are published as standalone products and treated as a premium magazine.
At this point, some of you in Detroit Lakes may be thinking: “Yeah, but haven’t I seen ‘Laker Books’ before?” … And you’d be correct. However, this year we decided that rather than publishing the magazine at the beginning of the season with photos from last year’s season, we would publish the book later in the season and update it with fresh content based on the current year.
As our Sports Editor Jared Rubado wrote in an Editor’s Note in the “Laker Book”: This year we wanted to make the Laker Book more of a keepsake for the teams, and Laker athletics supporters. In this Laker Book you will find photos from each team’s current season, along with a revamped feel for how the content is displayed.”
In a sense, we’ve reimagined something that the community loved, and made it even better!
As for the “Jacket Book” and the “WDC Sports Guide,” these are products new to the readers of the Focus and Pioneer Journal. But based on the support of the annual “Laker Book,” we feel these premium magazines will be just as well loved!
We hope that you enjoy the changes that we’ve made to upgrade the “Laker Book,” and also the launch of the new “Jacket Book” and “WDC Sports Guide.” We know how important our local high school activities are to our communities, and we want to capture that spirit each season in a cherished keepsake. We’re proud of these magazines! And we hope that you love them as much as we do!
Now for a couple of thank yous!
I mentioned our sports editor earlier. This project simply wouldn’t have been possible without his tireless work this fall season. Jared almost single-handedly produced or tracked down each and every photo in these books, as well as produced the text for photo cutlines, team rosters and the schedules. It was a massive undertaking, and I know we are lucky to have Jared as a member of our team! Thank you for your hard work and dedication, Jared!
Second, we owe a debt of gratitude to several people and businesses for sharing content with us, including Caulfield Studio, Madelyn Haasken, Nicole Swiers, Vance Carlson and Sam Stuve in the “Laker Book”; and Vance Carlson and the Perham-Dent Schools in the “Jacket Book.” Thank you all for being willing to contribute to such a worthy project!
Finally, a huge thank you goes out to the people and businesses that financially supported these three community athletic projects. Without their advertising support, we could not produce premium magazines like these. We are continually grateful for the area businesses that partner with us to make something special like this happen. There are too many to list here in this column, but please be sure to take note of those advertisers in your community’s sports book and thank them for their support!
We hope everyone enjoys these sports books as much as we do! It is a pleasure to be able to publish them. So, please enjoy the fall books, and feel free to drop me any feedback you have that might improve the books that will be produced for the winter sports seasons. Thank you!
Devlyn Brooks is the publisher of the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Perham Focus and Wadena Pioneer Journal, and their associated websites. He can be reached at dbrooks@dlnewspapers.com or at 218-844-1451.
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