The Prairie Times is a one-of-a-kind, family-operated, locally owned magazine serving the needs of Elbert County in Eastern Colorado for thirty-four years. Its mission is to improve the lives of its readers, writers, and advertisers by encouraging hope and country values.
How It All Began
The Prairie Times began as an idea in the mind of its publisher, Jerry Bishop, and launched its first issue in time for Christmas of 1991. He had been working for small town newspapers and wondered: what would happen if someone created a publication full of positive and uplifting stories that represent small-town America instead of just news reports?
Jerry tried to interest larger publishers in the idea, but all of them turned him down and said such a magazine would not last. Thirty-plus years later, we are proving them wrong (and most of them are out of business!). We are still around because instead of depressing news reports, we focus on inspirational stories, nostalgia, and humor, from writers all over the United States (many of them from our local community). Our writers range in age from five years old to eighty-five!
To learn more about us, you can read Jerry’s twentieth-anniversary article in his own words below…
Reflections from the Publisher
Little did we know what we were in for when my wife Susan and I decided to start The Prairie Times…
For something to be successful, it would have to be profitable, which meant we would have to have ad revenue. In order to have ad revenue, I would need to do advertising sales, and Susan would be the Editor and put the publication together so there would be somewhere to place the ads.
We also would have to determine what the best possible “market” for our circulation would be so our advertisers would get the best possible results. We decided a “features” publication would be the best way to go since weekly newspapers have a shelf life of about 30 minutes, just long enough to scan the headlines, read a few articles, and then toss it or use it to line the bird cage. A features publication would be something people would keep around for a while, which would give the advertisers much better exposure and more bang for their buck.
Building a Community of Writers
We got off to a pretty good start with the advertising sales, but the editorial content was more of a challenge. Susan and I are both writers (not because of formal education, but by natural ability) but we certainly couldn’t write everything ourselves. (Although we did write most of the first issue under a series of pen names!)
Not to worry. Shortly after The Prairie Times began to be “out there,” stories and inquiries began pouring in from talented people “who had a story to tell.” We quickly developed writer’s guidelines and held a few very well-attended writers’ seminars. Since we pay writers something for their efforts, the word spread quickly, and soon we had more material than we could use. Some of our writers have also become great friends over the years. And some of them, like Charles Oz Collins, have been with us the entire time!
Navigating Industry Changes
When we started The Prairie Times, the publishing industry was in the process of changing from the way it had been done for years (labor-intensive and tedious) to the way it is now (fast, high-tech electronic and sometimes nerve-wracking).
Susan and I had quite a learning curve since neither of us was very computer-savvy. One of the keys to being an entrepreneur is that you must either learn to swim or drown… so we learned to swim.
Over the years, we have made lots of upgrades, learned lots of new software and operating systems, and have become pretty good IT techs. We have also learned that upgrades aren’t always better, and there is a lot of truth to the old axiom: “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Our daughter, Charity, started out working with her mother building ads and screening manuscripts at age fifteen, and eventually became the Editor, in charge of magazine layout, dealing with our many talented writers, and handling the technical details of our website.
Supporting Local Business in a Changing World
Our goal and purpose are still to give businesses a place to advertise that will be effective for them by providing a publication that people enjoy—only now, the stakes are higher.
Regardless of what most of the media is saying, things aren’t getting better; in fact, the economy is getting worse. I know this because I deal with small businesses constantly, and they are having a hard time making it.
Let our advertisers know you appreciate them being in The Prairie Times and give them your business. We do! Most of our shopping is done in our market area, where we find the owners very helpful and knowledgeable about their product or service.
Help Us Keep Small-Town Businesses Alive
If you believe in uplifting, community-centered storytelling and supporting local businesses, The Prairie Times is for you. Shop with our advertisers, let us know you saw them here, and help us continue bringing hope and country values to Eastern Colorado for years to come.
