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-- Programs and Services -- Contact Information Berkshire Senior marks two decades
“I get information there I don’t get anyplace else.” “Stuff that’s really important, about senior benefits and things like that.” “The medical information – that’s very useful.”
That’s what a sample of regular readers has to say about Berkshire Senior, the monthly newspaper you’re holding in your hands right now.
Such comments are what Berkshire Senior’s team wants to hear, because that’s why Berkshire Senior exists: to provide vital information regarding issues important to elders, and about the services available through the paper’s publisher, Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc., and other agencies. The paper turned 20 this year, and continues to change and grow.
Berkshire Senior wasn’t always part of Elder Services. It started as a private for-profit publication. Fred Whitham, Elder Services’ first executive director, bought space (the back page) for about $150 a month. “We were just trying to get the word out. Call us for what you need, we’re here,” remembers Catherine R. May, Whitham’s successor.
In 1988, the publisher was ready to move on. Whitham saw an opportunity. Elder Services paid $1,000, becoming the newspaper’s new owner, and discovered there’s a difference between owning a paper and knowing how to run one.
May recalls the learning years. “There wasn’t a lot of organization around content, around timing, around publication.” Deciding what belonged in an issue was often last-minute. There was information on federal programs, a message from the executive director, and a profile of a member of the board of directors, a staff member, or a volunteer. Additional information that seemed interesting was tossed into the mix.
No one at Elder Services felt fully responsible for the paper, May recalled. The first editor wrote of the articles. Material often arrived late. While the aim was to bring Berkshire Senior out at the beginning of the month, it didn’t always happen.
“High tech” wasn’t a household word yet. Berkshire Senior was laid out on cardboard sheets with paste pot and scissors. Photos emerged from the printing process dark and fuzzy.
Fast forward to today. Now, articles arrive by e-mail. Karen Shreefter, the editor for the past 14 years, lays out the paper on the computer. Articles arrive on time. There are more photos, and they’re crisp and clear, thanks to improved technology and a digital camera.
Berkshire Senior production now runs smoothly. The overall schedule is set a year in advance. Planning for a specific issue begins months ahead. Elder Services’ Executive Director Robert P. Dean meets with key staff to start the ball rolling. By the time the editorial board meets each month, there is a clear agenda and a pre-set list of events, topics, and photo and story ideas to consider.
Regular features include a column by one of a group of medical specialists and one by a legislator or public official. Dean is proud of what Berkshire Senior has become. “I believe it is the only newspaper in Berkshire County whose primary and specific focus is on elders,” he explained.
He notes that the paper recently expanded from 12 pages to 16. It is available at more locations than ever before, is mailed to more than 4,000 addresses, and just increased its print run from 10,000 to 10,500 copies.
“This really is a team effort,” says Shreefter. On the team: Dean; staff members from different departments at Elder Services who make up the editorial board, Louisa Weeden, the executive secretary, who ensures all runs smoothly, volunteer writers, fiscal office staff, and Bob O’Connor, who sells advertising.
“Berkshire Senior is a labor of love given to Berkshire elders and our community,” Shreefter beams, “people who deserve the best.”