Paper of Dreams…For the Love of Community
The Greater Ashland Beacon Celebrates 12th Anniversary
Deidra Bowling-Meade
The Ashland Beacon
You can hear the whisper, “If you build it, they will come.” That same whisper resonated in the ears of Philip Stewart and Jason Smith when they decided to take a leap of faith and become co-owners with their wives Lora Stewart and Kimberly Smith for The Greater Ashland Beacon in June 2011.
Originally, Jennifer Allen started and owned the paper. Philip and Jason were working with her on ads. Stewart and Smith had developed a friendship with Allen after their startup of Tri-State Music, which was an online site to listen to artists local to Ashland and the surrounding area. Due to another job opportunity and not being able to give additional time to the paper, Allen offered the newspaper to them, knowing that they had the drive to keep it going.
Philip recalled, “We had no idea how to layout a newspaper. Jason and Kimberly started watching videos and training themselves while Lora started getting content and photos, and I sold advertisements.”
Lora agreed, “We had no clue what we were doing. The first paper came out on June 29, 2011. The front page was Billy Ray Cyrus coming to Summer Motion. It was only 12 pages, and we have grown so much in the last 12 years.”
Carrie Stambaugh was the first writer and editor for the Beacon. Philip praised Stambaugh, “We could not have gotten this paper going without her.”
Stambaugh remarked, “I am incredibly proud of the Beacon and am honored to have been a part of its creation. The newspaper is stuffed with local content created by locals. It informs and uplifts readers while capturing and preserving all the stories and events that make our community the special place that it is. One of the proudest moments of my career was the recognition the Greater Ashland received from the Kentucky Press Association during my tenure as editor. It proved that in The Beacon our team had created something not only that our readers loved but that our peers judged to be excellent as well.”
Lora noted that The Beacon has continued because “we have added so many incredible writers and photographers who have won numerous KPA awards. This past year, we came in second in the state of Kentucky for best weekly newspaper.” Above all, “The Beacon is THE COMMUNITY’s Paper.”
The Ashland Beacon isn’t your typical newspaper. It’s full of positivity and highlights the wonderful people and places in the community. Kimberly stated, “The Beacon is nothing like other papers, and that is very intentional. We built it the way that we would want to read a newspaper, rather than the way you typically see them. Our font is bigger, our color is brighter, and we offer more photos than anyone else. We also cover only local, community-based news. You won't see a crime report in the Beacon - ever!”
There have been wonderful stories shared over a decade. Kimberly’s personal favorite was a 9-11 edition of the paper in 2019. Philip shared that his favorite part of the paper is the sports section because he and Lora are big sports fans. He enjoys seeing the great photos our photographers capture each week. Lora expressed, “My favorite part is when we are out in the public, and people come up to us all the time and say ‘I love The Greater Ashland Beacon.’ It is awesome! I feel we have worked so hard, and I am so proud of what we have accomplished and how far we have taken The Beacon. Sometimes I get tired of taking pics, and someone will come up at the ballfield and say ‘Thank you so much for being here. You are making memories for us that will last a lifetime.’” That’s what it’s all about.
There have been highs and lows in running a newspaper; however, the dream of having the newspaper succeed outweighed the downfalls. Kimberly commented, “If you'd asked me a decade ago what the paper would look like now, I would have told you it wouldn't last that long. It's no secret that newsprint is dying. We survived Covid when I think that even we thought it would be impossible. We buckled down, took the cuts, made hard decisions and came back from it. I think we have all sacrificed so much over the years to watch this newspaper succeed - birthdays, holidays, vacations, every Sunday for more than a decade.”
What’s the magic formula for the Beacon’s continued success? It’s simply, Effort + Belief + Community. Philip, Lora, Jason and Kimberly followed their hearts and listened to that soft whisper saying, “If you build it, they will come.” The Ashland Beacon is freely given to the community to enjoy. The community has embraced it by reading and sharing it with others.
Kimberly concluded, “We've got something special here, and we've got a great family to back it up. I think the sky is the limit. The Beacon is what it is because we're not the people you would see running a newspaper. If you have a dream and a strong work ethic, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished. But we've done it because we love this paper, and we know that the community loves and appreciates it. We also love being able to offer opportunities for others to learn and work with the Beacon.”
Philip guaranteed, “The Beacon will continue to be a positive influence for our community. We want the community to be proud to have a newspaper like the Beacon that highlights what is good and leaves you feeling good after reading it.”
Happy 12th Anniversary to The Greater Ashland Beacon!
