By: E&P Staff Consolidated printing operations of five separately owned North Dakota weeklies will be outsourced to the publisher of a group of weeklies, beginning in December.
Ashley Tribune and Wishek Star co-owner Tony Bender reported that his papers, along with the Napoleon Homestead, Emmons County Record and Steele Ozone Press will sell the press and building they jointly own in Wishek. Another CDP co-owner is the former publisher of the Northwest Blade, in Eureka. The recently sold Blade is now printed in Minnesota.
Most are expected to be printed at BHG Inc., the Garrison-based publisher of a dozen communities weeklies. Unlike the equipment in Wishek, BHG offers full-color printing.
Napoleon Homestead Publisher Terry Schwartzenberger called Central Dakota Printing, begun 31 years ago, a "small cooperative" that was a successful idea. It prints eight titles all and employs three people.
But according to CDP President Paul Erdelt, the joint venture is being abandoned owing to difficulty maintaining the old Goss Community press and the cost of buying modern platesetting and printing equipment. Bender quotes Erdelt saying that, "at this point, we would be operating pretty much just to operate with out much margin for error. The first major breakdown or expense would force our hand, and that wouldn't be fair to our customers." Erdelt also noted that the loss of the Blade's printing hastened the decision.
The Bismarck Tribune reported that the Wishek Star rents space in CDP's building and may seek a new, smaller headquarters.
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