Karin Ramige has been the owner of McLeod Publishing since 2017.
McLeod Publishing
For over 40 years, McLeod Publishing Inc. has been informing and supporting the community of Glencoe.
The company began with the Glencoe Advertiser, which formed in 1977. Now, McLeod Publishing is the owner of the Glencoe Advertiser, McLeod County Chronicle, Arlington Enterprise and Sibley Shopper.
“I like the community involvement. You get the opportunity to be involved in a lot of different aspects of the community, from councils to committees and to the chambers we cover,” said owner Karin Ramige. “I like being part of this community. It’s good for the paper, but it’s good to know what’s going on in Glencoe.”
While The Chronicle is a great source for local news, it also provides an excellent source of advertising. Businesses have the opportunity to place ads not only in print, but also on The Chronicle’s website.
“Everything changes, and every business is changing – now we are constantly putting out content on our website, Facebook, and Twitter. We have to stay relevant.” said Ramige.
While the company is expanding to cover the ever-growing social media platforms, their print materials are just as reliable as ever.
“Newspapers are a good way to get your information out and an excellent way to advertise. The national media says nobody reads newspapers anymore, but I’m always amazed at how many calls we can get on a Monday morning if someone’s Advertiser was late, or wasn’t in just the right spot. People read newspapers, and they look for the new editions,” said Ramige. “When we had the snow storm this past winter, we got the edition out a little later on Sunday, and people were watching for us to come down the street with their copy.”
Hometown grown, family owned
The Chronicle opened in November of 1980, and Ramige’s parents, Joyce and Bill, bought it shortly after in 1981.
Ramige recalls that her first job at McLeod Publishing was delivering papers. Now, she owns the company, after having purchased it from her parents in 2017.
“The fact that we’ve remained locally owned and family owned makes me proud,” said Ramige. “There are a couple of companies that own a lot of newspapers in this state, but I think it’s important to be locally owned. The bigger papers and companies have community editors, but we make decisions based on our community, not the bigger ‘corporate goals.’”
The company’s locally-owned status allows them to keep their finger on the pulse of the community in Glencoe.
“There isn’t anybody else covering what’s happening in Glencoe,” said Ramige. “Our focus is local, and the community is supportive.”
Community members in Glencoe often engage with Ramige or her staff.
“People sometimes stop you in public or give you a call about story ideas they have,” said Ramige. “We love to hear those things.”
