BAR HARBOR, Maine — Despite an attempt in Knox and Waldo counties to revive some weekly newspapers that ceased publication last week, it appears that there will be no savior for the Bar Harbor Times.
The weekly paper was founded in 1914 and for decades was the only weekly on Mount Desert Island, covering municipal meetings and community news. Mount Desert Island now has another weekly newspaper, the Mount Desert Islander, which Editor Earl Brechlin and Publisher Alan Baker founded in 2001, but many are lamenting the loss of the Times’ longtime presence on MDI.
“That’s the livelihood of any town, is to have a local newspaper so you know what’s going on,” Deborah Dyer, curator of the Bar Harbor Historical Society, said Tuesday. “It was the thing. It was the local paper.”
Reade Brower, publisher of the Free Press in the midcoast area, announced Monday that he is interested in acquiring Village NetMedia’s former assets.
Brower has said he is interested in reviving the former Village Soup papers in Knox and Waldo counties, but that he was not interested in continuing operation of the Bar Harbor Times or the Capital Weekly in Augusta, which was founded in 1996.
Dyer, whose mother used to work for the Times, said that having two weekly papers in town over the past decade gave local residents a wider perspective on local affairs than having just one weekly newspaper would have done. But she said change is inevitable, even for institutions that have been around for generations.
“Times change. We have to conform to it,” Dyer said. “It’s unfortunate to see it close.”
Dyer said the historical society has microfilm copies of the Bar Harbor Times from 1914 through 2007, and microfilm copies of the Mount Desert Herald and the Bar Harbor Record, which preceded the Times. She said she is hoping to acquire the Times’ bound copies of its past issues, which date back to the 1970s, in order to preserve them.
Dana Reed, Bar Harbor’s town manager, recalled Tuesday that the Times was the only weekly newspaper on MDI when he started working for the town in 1986. He said he is sorry that the closure will result in the loss of half a dozen or so local jobs. Most of the paper’s production staff had been shifted to Rockland over the years.
As town manager, Reed said he dealt with the newspaper on a regular basis as it reported on municipal affairs such as board votes or budget decisions.
“It really is up to the weeklies to cover these things,” Reed said. “It will be missed by a lot of people.”
On Monday, the paper’s staffers cleaned out their desks at the newspaper’s Cottage Street offices. One of them was Laurie Schreiber, who worked at the newspaper for 22 years.
Schreiber said Tuesday in an email that she saw many changes at the paper over the years but she enjoyed her experience there.
“The Bar Harbor Times, like everything else, is ephemeral in the great scheme of the universe,” Schreiber wrote. “But it once had greatness in its role as an ongoing record keeper. Now it has greatness in its role as an important piece of the community’s history. That’s good, and it’s sad.”
Village NetMedia acquired Courier Publications, which operated five newspapers including the Bar Harbor Times, in 2008. Courier Publications had repeatedly changed hands over the prior decade.
The only thing to lament is that there is only one paper left, and that they are apologists and enablers for the tax & spend people who currently run Bar Harbor. The Bar Harbor Times has been a complete joke for a while. It will be missed only in the abstract in the way people miss the ‘good old days.’
Im not sure about the statement from Mr. Reed that the Bar Harbor Times was the only weekly on MDI back when he started working for the town in 1986. The Ellsworth America existed back then as well and was sold weekly throughout Hancock County. The America goes back at least thirty years before the Times.
Yes, the American is found on the island, but very rarely can you find Island News in it. I’m sure he meant it was the only weekly paper that focused on MDI news.
Thats right. Back when I was a kid the Times was a 25 to 30 page paper. The American let them have the island reporting although some things from the island made it into that paper. That all changed over the years and then the Islander came into the picture. The Bar Harbor Times used to be printed right on Cottage Street and was locally owned. I wonder if things like moving the printing and such helped kill the Times off slowly.
Now they’ll have to read old copies of the Bangor Daily News.
Oh the Humanity!
Guess it’s back to the old fashion way of spreading the news……….word of mouth
I’m also kind of curious how businesses will spend their advertising dollars is there a free paper in that market?
No Lamentations here. I read the Times religiously for decades and even though it was obvious that it was no longer a home town newspaper shortly after Mr. Anderson bought it, I still tried for years to remain faithful to it but our primary enjoyment ended up being laughing at all the stupid typos. The once valued classifieds section became useless as the goods and services offered were all two counties away. The Islander has been the superior MDI newspaper for the past ten years. The Times’ demise was inevitable and entirely due to poor management.
How will the people of BH know if there is a tree hugging event happening in the cove tomorrow???
Listen for the drum circle?
They will hear the news down at the bakery on Rodick Street.
The College of the Atlantic is a fine local resource. This could work. College of the Atlantic, and students, take on the production of the Bar Harbor Times. Look at their offerings. Seems a perfect match, benefiting all. Education and entrepreneurship.
C’est la vie.
GOOD for your SUMMER NUTTS, and those that are addicted to the now sad MDI; used to be a beautiful place until the bridge!! READ you history! learn!!
I was asked to give a presentation to a MDI Ch of Com and said adios after I noticed the CRAZY traffic, and this was only IN MAY, mind you!
Here in the REAL MAINE..EAST of ELLSWORTH we have over 4+ GREAT weekly publications for the GREAT WASHINGTON COUNTY……several more in “THE COUNTY”, ALSO!~!
JIM A…..
MACHIAS RESIDENT: SO SORRY FOR THOSE brainwashed residents of MDI.
Seriously, think about how GREAT MDI really could be!!
JIMS BOOKS
How can the BDN allow this comment to stand. How can 6 people “like” it? Apart from the absurd suggestion here, this is a prime example of hateful speech that is prohibited, is it not?
Ah. It has been removed, but it should have been removed immediately.