Babblin' Brooks: Riding off into the sunset

It’s time.

After nearly 30 years in the newspaper business in some shape or form, I’m going to be hanging up my press pass. 

It’s been a good run. I’ve seen and experienced many different things over my career. But, I’m at the point in my life where retirement age is creeping closer, and working long and odd hours is more difficult than it used to be. Having a 16 or 20-hour workday is not unusual. In fact, I’m having one as I write this.

There are many reasons that Sarah and I have reached this decision. You just read the first one in the previous paragraph. I won’t bore you with all of them. 

When we first moved to Oklahoma 17 years ago, I was in full-time ministry. When I left that job three years later, I returned to the newspaper business. Fourteen years later, here I am still.

In the past several months, I’ve had the opportunity to return to the ministry as a part-time chaplain. I realized how much I missed that part of my life. The opportunities keep coming and I want to be able to commit more time to it.

The past 6.5 years as owner and publisher of this newspaper have been some of the most rewarding years of not only my career, but my life.

I’m a dinosaur as far as the newspaper business is concerned. It’s challenging to stay current with the latest shifts and developments in the media landscape. I’m not the kind of guy to bring in fresh ideas.  I’ve been sticking to the plans that I learned decades ago.

I’ve won just about every newspaper award I am capable of winning. An award I received last year was the final piece of the puzzle, so there’s no longer that motivation to keep sticking it out.

We are hoping to find a buyer to carry on the legacy of The Comanche Times. We are seeking someone who can bring about positive change. That’s not to say I won’t be willing to help out the new owners, if they want me to, as my schedule allows. 

So, why not just sell the newspaper to relieve some of the burden and stay on as an employee? To put it bluntly, I’ve been in this business so long and been doing things my own way, I don’t think I could work for someone else again in this line of work. I’m too stubborn. Dinosaurs don’t take instructions well. 

The next obvious question is what happens if we can’t find a buyer? Well, then there will be a tough decision to make. We should know the direction in the near future.

I wrote this to be transparent. I always wanted the governments I covered over the years to be transparent. I should be as well.

We’re not moving. We like it here. Comanche is home. I’ll just  no longer be “the newspaper guy.”

It’s time.