The Old Townie: Embracing the new
The way we get our news has changed drastically in the past few decades, as has the way we engage with news organizations. In Oxford, columnist Steve Schnabl writes that local publications both old and new provided opportunities for community support.
Oxford area residents have often felt the need for “more communications” in the years since the weekly Oxford Press folded into the Journal-News and later stopped running. The concern was noted in several more recent updates of TriHealth’s community health needs assessments for Oxford, in the city’s strategic planning discussions and in multiple studies conducted by Miami University’s Scripps Gerontology Center on behalf of the Age Friendly Oxford (AFO) group.
The latter specified that online sources were not accessible to all segments of our community. That spawned the O-Town News monthly, mailed to several hundred older adults who joined its mailing list. An online distribution broadened its readership. O-Town News was lovingly “parented” by Anne Whelpton and Jessie Leek, both active volunteer leaders with AFO. The final editions saw Jennifer Heston-Mullins of Scripps and some Scripps interns in charge.
Then last summer, thanks to the brainstorming and efforts of James Rubenstein, Richard Campbell and John Skillings, the Oxford Free Press appeared with Sean Scott as our editor.
Since then, I’ve tried to reflect on my own experiences in Oxford during the last four decades to see how different Oxford is now in 2025. Those changes include everything from where we get our meds to the types of cars we drive in Oxford — and parking, of course. You’ll find my stories on the opinions page every few editions because I’m writing from my own experience, not reporting.
I first introduced myself and met Sean at an Oxford City Council meeting. I had some time to volunteer, and I enjoy writing, so I suggested a column called "The Old Townie." He judiciously requested several samples of my efforts, and I submitted a few of the Oxford Senior Center monthly newsletter Letters from the Director. He gave me a shot, and I continue to learn from him to boot.
In January, Oxford Free Press hosted an open house to mark six months of weekly publications. The more interaction the better for a community newspaper with current readers, donors and advertisers, plus others “yet-to-be converted.”
At one time in the 1970s, the old Press sponsored a promotion to encourage Talawanda children to win a new bike for selling 10 (or was it 20?) new annual subscriptions. My older stepdaughter took the challenge. She poses with that prize in the photo above. Whether delivered to your porch by a kid on a bike, bought at a news box or in a location like Kroger or Minnis Drugs, or even mailed for an extra few bucks, the old Press connected town, fields and gowns.
The Oxford Free Press is not intended to mirror the old Press. However, a small community like the Oxford area is hungry to keep informed in a professional and fact-checked manner. That’s the Oxford Free Press, our new community connector.
Let’s work together to make the Oxford Free Press an informational institution that addresses our readers’ interests and expectations.
Your support is needed. Spread the word.
Steve Schnabl moved to Oxford in 1985. He retired in 2023 from Oxford Seniors after a 40-year career directing nonprofits.
