Having just read this morning's paper I have to finally write and say that my mind and heart are full of emotions about the dramatic change in a good friend of mine. The loss of the Citizen as a print daily is of staggering import to our community and to me. So significant that people who only occasionally pay attention to the content of your pages will suddenly wake up one day down the road and wonder what presence is missing from their lives and forever be diminished by the loss their old paper friend.
Like all friends, we have spent much time together. Sometimes you have filled me with joy, new insights, laughter and curiosity. Other times you have left me outraged, hurt, saddened by your inexplicable nonsensical actions. Always, you have given the greatest gift of all, you have stimulated me to want to know more, to learn more, to have a better understanding. I am not going to list even one of your regular writers as I would then have to list them all. Each of them has written words at one time or another that I have cut out of the paper and placed in my treasury of wisdom (actually it's just a well-used file folder) where I keep whole columns and snippets from sentences where one of you has chosen and used words that inspire, infuriate and always inform.
You asked about stories of personal engagement with the Citizen. Mine are from a slightly different perspective.
When I first went to sell advertising for the "new" radio station, CJCI, one of my favourite things was to take The Citizen to task as an effective advertising medium. With hundreds of clever words, I would convince local business people that the new medium of CJCI Radio was so infinitely superior to tired old print. In time, I discovered the word and concept of synergy and relished the opportunity to work with Citizen sales reps to make joint presentations that promised, and delivered, wonderful bottom-line results to "our" advertising clients. I appreciated and respected those fine people and miss them dearly as none of them work for you now. In time I ended up managing, publishing and owning a couple of community weekly newspapers and those successes were built on what I had learned from my Citizen competitors years earlier. Another of the many things I learned from the Citizen.
For various reasons , mostly good, my name has appeared in The Citizen many times since I arrived in PG back in 1965. I always considered it a great honour and, in a way, a successful evaluation of my efforts in community service when one of your writers made mention of my efforts to serve our city and its people in their reporting.
For me the pinnacle of being in your paper was when as part of your coverage of the PG centennial, you did a survey of youngsters in city schools asking who they though were ten people who had made significant contributions to our city in the past century. By some strange circumstance, you had my name and picture as one of that group of people the youth chose. I would never have thought it possible, still don't really.
Neil, you touched me more than you can ever know when at the last elections in one of your editorials trying to encourage people to run for civic office you asked "where are these people when we need them?" And... my name was in your list. Unfortunately I think my time has passed but who knows.
Neil and Colleen, I wish the ending of the Citizen Daily print edition was not happening. You and the head office have made a decision that I disagree with (not the first time) and, despite my disagreeing with your decision, I want you to know that I wish you well.
You have done many good things but none more important than the individual lives you have impacted through your attention to their efforts, their lives full of success and failure but mostly just the way you and The Citizen have always cared about, paid attention to and encouraged local people, businesses and organizations.
I can tell you that next Saturday morning I will shed an honest tear over your leaving to travel new pathways. Your old friend will miss you.
Roy Spooner
Prince George
