ChristianWeek struggling

WINNIPEG, MAN.

In July of 1996, the decade-old paper had an accumulated operating deficit of about $100,000, an amount that was considered large but manageable. Revenues from subscriptions and advertising had never quite kept up with expenses, and the paper relied on donations to keep it running.

The Fellowship for Print Witness, the body which owns ChristianWeek, undertook an extensive campaign to increase subscriptions and donations. The response was modest. By the end of the 1996-97 fiscal year, Aug. 31, 1997, the debt had doubled to more than $200,000.

About this time, FPW decided to launch a Manitoba-based community newspaper called Christian LifeStyle, hiring MB Herald editorial assistant Kevin Heinrichs to be editor, as well as hiring a number of other staff. It was expected that the new paper would make a profit that could be used to reduce the debt load on ChristianWeek. In fact, the new paper lost money, and it was shut down after producing only two issues (September and October, 1997).

After that failure, the FPW Board met and learned that the debt crisis was more serious than it had earlier thought. The Board accepted the resignation of Doug McLeod, who had been in charge of the financial and business aspects of the paper for the past year-and-a-half, to be effective at the end of December, 1997. In a letter inserted in the Nov. 18 issue, Board chair Dan Burton reported the crisis and asked for help to save the paper. He suggested that if every reader contributed $35, the debt could be eliminated.

Publisher McLeod, without the knowledge of the Board or the editors of ChristianWeek, published his own explanation of the situation on the back page of the Nov. 18 issue. McLeod vacated his office at ChristianWeek shortly afterward. Neil Janzen, former president of Mennonite Economic Development Associates, was appointed interim manager.

In the meantime, the national postal strike created further financial problems for the paper, cutting off the flow of advertisements, subscriptions and revenue. It was decided to cancel the Dec. 2 issue.

Operating with a reduced staff, editors Doug Koop and Debra Fieguth managed to produce the Dec. 16, Jan. 6 and Jan. 20 issues. A tight watch is being kept on all spending, and the paper is being published on a cash-only, pay-as-you-go basis. The paper still has a large debt outstanding, owed to writers, suppliers, etc. However, there are some encouraging signs. The paper sold as much advertising for its Dec. 16 issue as it normally does for both December issues, some donations have been coming in, some writers have agreed to write without payment, etc. The Board is also looking for a compatible individual or organization with the desire and resources to take over the operation.

ChristianWeek was founded through the vision of Harold Jantz, who had previously served as editor of the Mennonite Brethren Herald for 21 years and who was the first editor of ChristianWeek. Jantz phased out his direct involvement with ChristianWeek a year or two ago, but is still a strong supporter of the paper. JC