1329 : THE PAPER BOY : Part XII
• Anytown USA
General Pagonis told his story in his book Moving Mountains about being a paper boy and fighting for a spot on a street corner to hawk papers. We did that once in a while down on main street. I had the great fortune to work with, and for, several of the men who lead operations in Desert Storm. Great leaders who had to figure things out like the strategy of a chess game. Like Staking out some turf to sell newsprint on a street corner. You have to be creative and you have to be a doer.
Leading by Example is a real thing requiring integrity and commitment.
We learn a lot from folks in our lives and we need to stop and take stock once in a while and be thankful for those that have gone before us. GRACE
When I landed the circulation job at the paper back in the late 1980’s I became the biggest paper boy in town. I had the largest of the three main routes. My territory consisted of 45 routes with 45 future enterprisers rolling and folding every day after school. We even had a few girls in the mix and the families usually chipped in with some of the rolling and folding. It was great to get to know the families of the kids.
The Job Was To Deliver All The Papers
Exactly Where They Were Required To Be By 5PM - Six Days A Week
The job was to deliver all the papers exactly where they were required to be by 5PM six days a week. I could relate to the kids knowing from early age what it was like on the other side. Experience is always the best teacher. Kids would quit from time to time and I would get another reminder of what it was like to have to throw a route before 5pm when the late calls would come in.
I could porch a paper from the driver’s seat of the truck rolling at 15 mph. You had to have an arm and you had to have confidence to let them fly while you rolled down the street. If you missed you had to back track. If a kid can do it from a bike rolling down the street then you had to be able to do it from a truck even farther away. Like anything else when you do something thousands of times you get pretty good at it. The paper throwing contests were fun.
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The paper throwing contests were fun.
I remember a new route came open and the new boy on the route Jesse was pretty small for a paper boy but he was tough and determined. The route was over by Los Robles across the street on the edge of town. Jesse’s parents liked me right off the bat because I spent some time with Jesse and got off to a good start. There was never a question in your mind about whether you could be a paper boy for most. The question was how to get the job done and how to overcome no matter your size or your route.
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Some of the routes were on hills. Some were bigger and required two trips.
The kids grew into the positions and refined the routes as they got to know the neighborhoods and the people. After a few months you learned where you got your tips and how to maintain and increase them. You built physical and mental strength throughout the process. To succeed you had to know and engage your customers. To excel you did it as fast as you could and built relationships throughout the neighborhood.
The better the boys and girls were trained the more likely they were to succeed and thrive. You always would get to know the kids a little to see what you could help them with. You would always spend time mentoring the kids when they made mistakes so they could improve.
Experience always the best teacher and failures were a source for learning. HUMILITY
Jesse’s parents liked me despite the language barrier. They saw how I was real and cared about the job as I supported the kids and encouraged them to succeed. They used to can their own Green Olives hand-picked and cured. Lindsay Olives were a part of our local history even people in the city knew that brand. I remember getting a big jar as a thank you.
It was a great memory as a job well done is satisfying for all of us. FREEDOM
In the late 1980’s the Recorder had a circulation of roughly 14,000. Contrast that to the circulation in the late 1960’s at about 8,000. The population was growing faster than the circulation and in hindsight those days were the peak for the Recorder. The paper was still printed here in town and employed a whole staff. The population of Porterville has grown by about 5 times since the 1960’s but the circulation of the paper has not kept pace. The times and how we consume information have changed so much printed papers are barely holding on.
The Paper Used To Be A Primary PlaceFor Folks To Get Information In Our Community
The paper used to be a primary place for folks to get information in our community. This was a worldwide phenomenon where local news is not what it once was. Our city had a much more cohesive culture in the past when we were more community centered. The paper was like the campfire back in the day and the center of camp and camp discussion.
The Paper even had a Baseball team that Mr. Kelly sponsored and Rick Elkins was our pitcher. Slow pitch softball was great fun and really helped us with our team building at the paper. The back office guys were younger and had more game. The front office guys were playing sports and writing about them at the same time it was a great time at the paper. The interoffice rivalries were great for team building and brought us all closer together.
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The interoffice rivalries were great for team building & brought us all closer together.
I will never forget pulling papers hot off the press and moving them to the insert room. The ladies in the back were awesome and we teased and hazed each other throughout the process as we hurried all of the inserts and got the bundles out to the trucks. Every bundle created with a route number and an exact number of papers for each kid, complete with special instructions for the day for each route. No Spanglish allowed in the back room you had to respect the language and the culture and speak Spanish properly it was for real. We all had a job to do and we all worked together to get it done everyday.
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My territory covered nearly half of the city.
My territory covered nearly half of the city. We had a very diverse crew with 45 different routes. Not based on the modern definition of diversity the REAL definition where every individual and their unique skills were important. Some of the parents were local professionals teachers, police, firemen and even a judge.
I remember a few kids from the poorer families would often ask if we needed help on other routes. Once word got out there were quite a few volunteers for that unexpected turnover where we had to go rescue a route because someone got sick or quit. The kids that were entrepreneurial found a way to make more money and get ahead. We encouraged that and we also set up carrier incentive programs that linked our paper boys to local merchants and recognition at the Elks Lodge.
After a bio in the paper for carrier of the month we would have a dinner at the Elks Lodge honoring the paper boy’s family. We had contributions from local merchants that became a part of the recognition for carrier of the month. All of the recognition was tied to performance and integrity as all recognition should be to honor the best and thank them for a job well done. The recognition was all local and centered on family and community.
The Recognition Was All Local
And Centered On Family And Community
