Hi Revelstoke,
I’m writing this to inform the community the Revelstoke Current is, regretfully, suspending operations as of today, March 25 2020. It may be an online media, but the Revelstoke Current is still a business with associated costs, and COVID-19 has landed a critical hit.
Launched 2009, the Revelstoke Current has been in my care for nineteen months. Like David Rooney, its creator, I was never in it for the money, and if I could cover everything voluntarily, I would. During economic booms, hustling for advertisers is a reality and competition for advertising dollars is fierce. As you all know, right now is not, economically speaking, the best of times.
I love this community, and I love writing about it. But the fact is, interviewing, writing, and editing all takes time, and even online, there are overheads. The beauty and the flaws of the Revelstoke Current are one and the same – an independent and nearly solo endeavour offers freedom of publishing, but is often accompanied by unrealistic expectations of content output.
Additionally, at a time with no school or childcare for the foreseeable future, I need to put my family first. My significant other is working from home, and two of us doing so with kids is not a functional long term reality.
The Revelstoke Current has always been special. Rooney created a microcosm paper with a hyper focus on local; it was just what the community needed. Shaun Aquiline ensured its survival when Rooney passed away, and I was honoured to be entrusted to carry on the legacy of “community first.” I had spent years writing for other local media, and was ready to step out on my own.
Thank You
To the contributors (written and visual) – thank you for your work, it is so appreciated. Each of you brought something unique that spoke to different people in the community.
To the advertisers- thank you for your support and for believing in all the iterations of the Revelstoke Current. I will be sure to support your businesses however I can in the coming days.
To all the readers – some of you are from 2009, some are newer; big love to all of you, for reading, sharing, commenting, taking the time to send those lovely emails I get – for everything!
To everyone I wrote about – thank you for sharing your stories, they are incredible. No matter the content, there is always something inspiring and unique in each and every one of you.
COVID-19 and the Media
In the last week, Black Press laid off the Revelstoke Review’s Editor, Jocelyn Doll, and cartoonist, Rob Buchanon. Aaron Orlando, the Creative Director of the Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine and Revelstoke Mountaineer online, the only other independent news source in Revelstoke, suspended operations of his print and online media.
Liam Harrap at the Revelstoke Review is now the community’s soul journalist at work. That’s a heavy burden. I hope Black Press does what they can to ensure Liam doesn’t burn out.
Liam, if you read this, you’re an excellent journalist and a lovely human, so I know the community is in good hands.
Aaron had, months ago, spoken about a new initiative for journalism, a platform that isn’t advertiser driven. COVID-19 may have caused a temporary near collapse of local journalism, but it may, ultimately, lead to something even better. I’m optimistic for the future of Revelstoke news.
The website, its back catalogue, and the Rooney/Aquiline legacy website, will stay online. Who knows what the future holds.
Signing off for now,
Imogen Whale
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