BRR Makes the Rutland Herald

The following is reprinted from the Rutlabd Herald of Friday, January 20, 2006

Ludlowite tries to keep pace with community journalismJanuary 20, 2006
By JOHANNA SORRENTINO Southern Vermont Bureau


To access The Black River Reporter, navigate to www.brreporter.com

LUDLOW — Ralph Pace thinks it is important the community knows what is going on and so he has gone back to what he started out doing: the news.Pace started a Web log of community news in July called the Black River Reporter a few months after the local weekly newspaper, the Black River Tribune, folded.

He said small weeklies like the Tribune tie communities together and felt there was a gap that needed to be filled."Word of mouth leaves something to be desired," he said.

Pace abandoned the blog because it did not allow him to prioritize news contributions that came in from the public, so he started a Web site with about six headlines linking to stories about Ludlow, Mount Holly, Plymouth and Cavendish.

Pace may be one of only a handful of 72-year-olds in the region maintaining a Web site, but he has a unique background in computer programming that started in 1961.He combines his extensive computer experience with his academic roots working in the American International College news bureau while getting his bachelor of arts degree in English and history from 1953 to 1957.

He left academia while studying Roman history at the University of Illinois."I found academic life a little too unrealistic," he said.When someone suggested Pace try programming he thought they meant broadcasting, but when he started a four-month course on how the first computers worked he said, "This is interesting."

He started his own computer programming business in New Jersey. The business took him around the world. He said one of his biggest jobs was setting up a computer program for the Ministry of Finance in Saudi Arabia.

On the Black River Reporter site, there is a section called "Keeping Pace With the News" which summarizes major news stories around the world.He said it is important that people peek their heads out of their hometown and know a little about world news.

Pace moved to Ludlow in 1997 and retired in 2002."I fell in love with the place. I like that you're not stuck on a strip road and I love the people," he said.Pace said he has about eight contributors who volunteer material, though he volunteers 20 to 30 hours a week reporting on meetings and laying out the online journal."It's a lot of fun," he said.He said it is important to keep on top of the hard news in town and village government."The rah-rah stuff is nice, but it's not journalism," he said.

He said Ludlow is a town of shifting opinions and hopes that the Black River Reporter gives residents a chance to see the other side of the issues.Though the reporter has an editorial, Pace said he does not often assert his opinion because he is a member of the Union 39 School Board and feels it would be a conflict of interest.Pace said he does not give his two cents in a meeting if his opinion is expressed by someone else, but admitted it is difficult to stay objective as an involved citizen.

"It's a choice of walking the narrow line or not do anything and I can't see not doing anything," he said.

As the e-mail link has made its way around town, Black River Reporter readership has steadily increased to its current figure of 320 weekly viewers. Pace said the feedback has been mostly positive.

He said he considered trying a printed version at the beginning, but it would take an initial start-up investment of $35,000 to $50,000."That was neither appealing nor sensible since I had no idea how long the paper would be viable from a financial point-of-view," he said.He plans to send out a letter to second homeowners making them aware of the on-line news site on the premise that someone may like to help him start up a newspaper."They should be aware of what's going on and its always nice to have a broader audience," he said.

Pace describes his new role as journalist similar to his shift from studying treason in the 4th-century Roman empire to suddenly working with computers: It just happened. "It's hard to explain and some people think you're kind of funny," he said.Contact Johanna Sorrentino at johanna.sorrentino@rutlandherald.com.