CARIBOU, Maine — The Aroostook Republican & News office will soon have a new home, as it moves several hundred yards south and across the street.
The newspaper staff will vacate the office on lower Bennett Drive and make the move on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016 to the 92 Bennett Drive location, taking up residence in freshly revamped space alongside Dobbs Realty.
NEP’s General Manager Andrew Birden said the move makes sense for several reasons.
“We have adopted a lean, modern and fast-paced approach to community journalism and advertising. Our journalists and sales staff spend the majority of their time in the field, and the need for a permanent office is much lower than it used to be. Also, most of our customers are using phones, email and other methods of doing business instead of walking into our office, which means that the foot traffic into our offices has dropped even though the number of subscribers is steadily growing these past several months.
“This move makes enormous business sense, allows us to more effectively channel revenue to cover local news and will ultimately mean a better paper, a stronger business and ensure we continue recording the first draft of our local history.”
Though Caribou’s weekly newspaper is working to expand its Internet presence, that’s only part of the story, Birden added. The printed product is here to stay.
“For many people, it’s not an event unless it’s in print, in the newspaper. People who rely on us in print will continue to be able to do that,” he said.
As moving day approaches, NEP will revamp the new space to create an inviting open-office environment. The company will employ a local mover to transport office equipment and furniture to the new location.
Caribou’s weekly newspaper dates back to 1880, when Samuel W. Mathews, a lawyer from Hampden, decided the town of about 2,750 residents needed its own weekly newspaper after he visited the town the previous year. He was reportedly so impressed with the community and its people, that he abandoned his plans to practice law, moved his wife and two daughters to Caribou, and launched the Aroostook Republican in January of 1880.
Today the paper is owned by Northeast Publishing Co., a subsidiary of Bangor Publishing Company, and affiliated with sister weekly newspapers in Madawaska, Presque Isle, Houlton and Dover-Foxcroft, as well as the Bangor Daily News.
The Aroostook Republican’s phone number will remain 496-3251 or you may email them at republican@nepublish.com. Also, they are on the web at www.republican-me.com or like them on Facebook.
