Journalism in Retirement

by Bob Buddemeier

Sometime in the current year I will retire from my positions as Editor-in-Chief and General Factotum of The Complement.  This will result in one of three outcomes: (1) The Complement disappears; (2)  It is absorbed – in some form – into the Residents Council suite of activities; or, (3) a new independent group of residents is found to take it over.  I think #1 is most likely, and I rank #2 ahead of #3 only because we have tried with very limited success to recruit new staff members.

I was curious about RVM’s newsletter characteristics without The Complement, and how they would compare with those of two other PRS CCRCs – the Portland Mirabella and the Seattle Mirabella.  The Complement routinely publishes links to the newsletters “3550” (Portland) and “The Mirabella Monthly” (Seattle); these can be found through The Complement’s Archive of past issues..

HillTopics has 20 names on its masthead (= staff directory) plus the two companies responsible for layout and design, and printing.  It is a glossy, professionally produced 12-page newsletter currently published 10 times a year and distributed to residents and prospective residents. Its content is mostly prepared by staff writers and photographers, with only an occasional contributed item. As might be expected from its role as a marketing tool, articles focus mostly on residents and resident activities, with some coverage of RVM staff and institutional activities.

The Seattle Mirabella Monthly is monthly, and carries more current and near future calendars and event descriptions than the bimonthly or quarterly publications.  In addition to its substantial staff of 41, it relies partly on contributions; 5 of the 9 bylines in the December issue were not on the masthead. Its layout is in fairly simple software (probably MS Publisher or similar); its offerings include poetry, reviews, resident experiences, and miscellaneous features.

The Portland Mirabella’s 3550 (the street address number) is the most unique publication.  In addition to being a large (36 pp.) and well-laid-out quarterly, it accepts advertising and thus has its own revenue stream, and it is on a public website rather than an intranet.  However, it is still identified as a publication of the Residents’ Association.  Articles are diverse, and almost all are by one of the 25 staff members.

One of the most interesting comparisons is of the relationship between publication support and CCRC size.  The table below compares the three “official” publications (setting aside The Complement), in terms of pages and frequency, the number of staff members listed on the masthead and the number of residences and licensed facility beds (proportional to residents, assuming comparable occupancy rates.

The ratios of pages per month per residence and of newsletter staff per residence for the Mirabella Monthly are 3-4 times the ratios for hillTopics, and those of 3550 are over 2 times.

What might it all mean?  There are various possibilities, none of them mutually exclusive:

1. RVM is more efficient at compressing diverse material into fewer pages.
2. Contractors make a greater contribution to RVM staff than assumed.
3. There are fewer journalistic volunteers at RVM than elsewhere
4. RVM residents are relatively underserved in terms of local information.

Based on my experience with The Complement, item 3 could definitely be a factor, and this would drive up the effects of #1 and #4.  In addition, item 4 was one f the reasons for founding The Complement in the first place.

Should anything be done about the disparity in numbers?  RVM’s have been higher in the past – the 2018 December issue had 33 names on the masthead, and at that time layout and design were done in-house rather than by a contractor.

There is a possibility that the differences simply reflect community characteristics.  The Mirabellas are both single-building high-rises, which may create a tighter community and more interest in local news than does RVM’s dispersed Independent Living plan.

Another, non-physical, community characteristic may be competition among activities at RVM.  Since 2018, the Department of Community Engagement has been formed and now offers many activities.  The Wellness Department has also increased its offerings.  With all of the new activities available, it is reasonable to assume that some potential volunteers may be deflected from the more traditional activities, like journalism.

If RVM’s pages/month per residence are to be doubled or tripled, either hillTopics will need to grow, or another publication such as The Complement will need to be added. An expanded hillTopics implies a greater diversity of content, and either a larger staff or more reliance on contributors. Any of these approaches will require significant changes in both policy and practices.