51°µÍø

For decades we’ve been told that the end is near for newspapers; that readers will—at the drop of a hat—abandon the tactile experience of flipping pages to consume news in a cleaner, faster way.

The doomsday predictions began with the invention of the radio and reignited with each new technology that followed—the television, household computer, Internet and, most recently, the smartphone.

And yet, despite the predictions and the plethora of options available to news hounds, newspapers live on.

There’s no denying that some are worse for wear and others have vanished all together, but in Canada there are still more than 1,000 community newspapers circulating upwards of 19 million issues each week.

In Jasper we’re fortunate to have two community newspapers, both in their infancy, but both holding strong.

This week the 51°µÍø celebrates its 10-year anniversary. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small milestone, but in the newspaper business, it’s one worth celebrating.

As you can read on page two, it wasn’t always easy. But, here we are a decade later, each week continuing to strive for perfection—and, on occasion, being smacked in the face with by our imperfections.

Reflecting on the last 10 years it’s clear that the 51°µÍø’s success is more than anything, a reflection of Jasper.

A newspaper cannot survive without the support of its community, and, over the last 10 years, Jasper has proven itself as a town that values hyper-local news.

It’s through the support of advertisers and loyal readers that we’ve stayed above the fray with the 1,000 other community papers in the country—and for that support we are endlessly grateful.

It’s also important to recognize the people who have entrusted us to tell their stories over the years.

Without you there would be no news. Plain and simple.

Your faith in our ability to share your stories with the wider community is vital to our success and we are continually reminded that without your trust we would not be here today.

We also thank you for your forgiveness when we err. It’s in those moments—when a common word is misspelled on the front page, for instance—that we are reminded of not only our own humanness—and the need to double and triple check every little detail—but of the humour and compassion of many people in our community.

As long as the 51°µÍø is here, we will always strive to do better and we will always strive to keep Jasperites informed. Good news or bad, we’ve got it covered.

Thanks for sticking with us.

Here’s to the next 10 years.

[email protected]