In the wise words of Bob Dylan, “the times they are a-changin,” and through some recent staffing changes at the Times, come opportunities for further success and growth.
Lincoln Dunn started his role as the new general manager of the Fort Frances Times last Monday (Jan. 20) and said he’s excited to push the newspaper forward.
Dunn worked at the Times from 2000 to 2006 as the Division Manager for the web development department, which was a new and growing industry at the time.
“The Times was always one of my most enjoyable places to work,” he enthused. “It excites me to be a part of this team again.”
Dunn said he’s thrilled to return to the newspaper, after holding communications and engagement positions with the Fort Frances Chiefs Secretariat, Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Ne-Yaa-Zhing Advisory Services, New Gold, and the public school board.
“I was involved in what really was the beginning of website development for a lot of our local businesses and organizations. It was really an emerging market at that point,” Dunn explained.
“Its creation was a testament to the vision and the forward looking capacity of the newspaper’s [former owners] Jim, Linda, and Don-they saw the opportunity and they created that department at a time when most people weren’t thinking about what their online presence should look like,” he added.
The Times was purchased by London Publishing in October last year, after 85 years of Cumming family ownership. With the recent retirement of former publisher Jim Cumming, and the impending retirement of other management staff, the need arose for creation of the general manager position.
“When the paper was purchased, one of the priorities was to make certain that changes focused on revenue and market growth – it wasn’t going to be looking to simply cut costs or eliminate positions,” Dunn explained.
“Really, it’s about the fact that there are a lot great things happening here already, and how can we take those and leverage them into greater things.”
London Publishing’s regional manager, Doug Rowe, said the company’s goal when acquiring a newspaper is to ensure its operations continue as they always have, with a strong focus on community news.
“We’re really excited that we got Lincoln to come on board. It’s great that we’ve got somebody with his high esteem in the community,” Rowe lauded.
“His former connection to the newspapers, his energy level, and his entrepreneurial spirit are the big things that really suit him well to this position.”
“I just think it shows our commitment to keep ownerships and decisions local, with a strong local face on the paper,” he added.
Dunn’s former experience at the Times has provided him with a strong familiarity of its various departments, which include commercial printing, web development, and editorial/advertising.
“I bring a pretty broad experience in all three of those areas. Communication, print and online marketing, have all continued to be a part of my work throughout my entire career,” said Dunn.
“I love working with people, I love managing and I love being a part of making a team successful.”
When Dunn originally moved to the district in 1997 with his wife, Rev. Frances Flook who serves as United Church minister in Emo and Devlin, they intended to stay here for just three years, but have lived in the district ever since.
“When we came here we were welcomed by the community, the folks in Emo especially,” he recalled. “We just fell in love with the area and decided this is where we wanted to raise our family.”
“My son is 20 now, my daughter is 16 and we’ve loved being here for the last 22 years,” Dunn added.
Looking ahead at the future of the Fort Frances Times, he said there’s a need for the company to adapt as the industry evolves.
“Media and communication is always changing and that’s both a blessing and a curse,” Dunn said.
“As those industries have changed, the Times has done well at changing along with it.”
“I think that continuing to be focused on local content and local stories is really the gift and strength that already exists inside these walls,” Dunn continued.
“If people are looking for national stories, they can find a plethora of those online, but the stories about the people who live next door to them, about what’s happening in the community . . . the Times is where they’re going to find those stories.”
“We help capture the story of our community, and it’s important for us to continue to act in that role,” he added.
When Dunn isn’t managing the Fort Frances Times, he can be found looking after his local honey bees, serving on Emo town council and committees, or snowshoeing and canoeing in northwestern Ontario’s great outdoors.
He said he feels very fortunate to be back at the Times and looks forward to growing the newspaper for years to come.
