September 2023 marks exactly eight years since The Citizen newspaper made its debut. The new publication was met with such optimism in 2015 that, before long, its circulation grew beyond Niverville to include most of the neighbouring towns.
The trailblazers behind this project included a group of lifelong Niverville residents—Evan Braun, Dustin Krahn, and Ray and Cara Dowse. Between them, they had the skills and business savvy to make it work.
At the time, Braun had already been a professional book editor for 12 years, contracting for a local publishing company and doing freelance editorial work on the side. Although he had studied journalism in college, his greatest personal triumphs included the publication of three novels. And he has continued to write many more.
Krahn was and still is a self-employed professional graphic designer who operates a successful business, Excel Graphics, on Main Street in Niverville. Since 2009, he has been specializing in graphic layout, design, and printing.
As a husband-and-wife team, the Dowses already had many years of experience in entrepreneurship, managing their various projects through Dowse Ventures. In 2015, Ray had recently stepped down from his position as senior executive for BSI Insurance, turning to work in the area of business development. He also works for HUB International Insurance.
When they began discussions on launching The Citizen, this quartet were ready to defy those who believed newspapers, particularly of the print variety, were no longer relevant.
“Conventional wisdom confidently declared that print journalism was dead and that the whole model should be buried and forgotten,” says Braun, The Citizen’s managing editor. “But our little corner of southeastern Manitoba has always been great at bucking trends and all the local communities have been supportive from the beginning. What I’ve since realized is that we were living in a news desert. Despite being a bustling, growing town, Niverville didn’t have a dedicated news source… and it needed one.”
Of course, the Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Sun, and The Carillon were readily available to rural residents, but these publications covered such a broad area that neither Niverville or Ritchot made the headlines unless a story was highly momentous or unusually tragic in nature.
The Citizen wanted to create a publication with a distinctly local focus, where every story would matter to every resident—something that would handily fill the void left by a short-lived Niverville newsletter that had been making the rounds, called Talk of the Town.
“Who was telling stories of local importance?” asks Braun. “Literally nobody. And that’s the most interesting and engaging type of news, really. Who doesn’t want to hear the exciting things that their neighbours are doing? Maybe someone is going to an international gymnastics competition or winning an award for community service. Or what about that new business about to open up that needs a bit of a boost? Or that recent controversial decision by town council that wasn’t being fully investigated? No one was telling these kinds of stories, certainly not in any depth. That’s what was so exciting about The Citizen right from the start.”
Birth of a Newspaper
Braun recalls the early meetings, in which the foursome deliberated for hours over the type of news they would produce—and how it should be done. The original proposal was for something more like a newsletter.
Before long, their ambitions morphed into a full-on newspaper. They believed the growing region would have many stories to tell in the coming years.
The only problem, Braun says, is that every one of them was already a busy entrepreneur with full-time jobs and they were about to spread themselves even thinner, and into unknown territory.
“I soon realized that this was not going to be a small project, and it certainly wouldn’t be a matter of an hour or two of extra editing on the side, as I had at first envisioned,” Braun says. “Suddenly I had to think about journalistic integrity, ensuring good and reliable reporting, and how to recruit staff. And then pull it off month after month. To be honest, it was a bit daunting, but looking back I can say the whole experience has been a rewarding one.”
Ray set to work promoting the project and securing the local advertisers needed to sustain a newspaper that would be free to the public. Meanwhile, Braun tapped the shoulders of prospective writers, finding recruits to join him on the journalistic team.
The first of those recruits was Brenda Sawatzky, who was thrilled at the opportunity to work with Braun and the team from the start. She was familiar with Braun’s work and he with hers. As a burgeoning writer, Sawatzky was keen on honing her craft and ready to dive into a new kind of community service after the sale of the Niverville business she had run with her husband for 23 years.
First Print Edition
The very first edition of The Citizen debuted in September 2015. It was a full-colour 24-page paper featuring local news, sports, and entertainment.
This first foray into print held details and renderings of a proposed Niverville recreation complex that seemed almost too good to be true at the time. As well, a new community splash pad was about to take shape in Hespeler Park.
Writer and comedian Matt Falk covered an early interview with Niverville’s own Jordan St. Cyr, just prior to the singer and songwriter going on to garner fame.
The paper’s classified section felt homey. There was also a crossword puzzle, a kids colouring contest, and a recipe for the fall season.
Four months later, in January 2016, the newspaper’s circulation expanded to include most residents of Ritchot, as well as the communities of Tourond, Otterburne, and New Bothwell. At this point, The Citizen’s team made the decision to restrict further regional growth.
This area, previously underserviced, now had its own local paper dedicated 100 percent to their small but vibrant region. Again, the goal was for every page to be relevant to locals, giving advertisers a prime opportunity to reach their target market.
In due time, an attractive website also came to be, allowing The Citizen to get even more news out to their readership—and in a more timely manner.
The Citizen Over the Years
Although the paper didn’t grow much in terms of its home region, it didn’t take long for the ownership team to branch out and add an alluring new publication to its offerings, a feature called Homes and Communities. The annual magazine has been rolling off the presses ever since, getting into thousands of mailboxes beyond the local area. It has helped to attract many newcomers to the region.
“From early on, the physical paper became only a piece of what we do,” says Ray. “We are the leaders in local news, but we also have taken on a bit more on the marketing and visual side of things. Again, when you have a diverse ownership group all with key individual strengths, it does lend itself to considering opportunities that don’t necessarily land within the traditional newspaper box.”
In 2020, another resident of Niverville, Dylan Zacharias, became the fifth member of The Citizen’s team of shareholders, entering as the paper’s new sales and marketing rep. Zacharias works full-time as a physical education teacher at Steinbach Christian School. He also works as the school’s public relations and marketing specialist.
The opportunity, for Zacharias, felt like a good fit.
“I believed The Citizen was Niverville’s best outlet for local and surrounding businesses to promote themselves to local consumers,” says Zacharias. “It was a unique beginning, as I started in peak COVID. However, it led me to grow my passion for supporting local businesses. When I first joined the team, I assumed the future would be to continue publishing a monthly paper for the region and making sure everyone got the best story in their hands. But looking back on this three years later, we have become something much bigger than that.”
Early in 2022, The Citizen also invited Sawatzky to join them at the ownership table. This completed the circle, adding a permanent and full-time journalist to the mix.
That same year, The Citizen partnered with the Niverville Nighthawks to unveil the first annual magazine celebrating the team. The second annual Nighthawks magazine is about to go to print, coinciding with the start of the new hockey season.
“For a company with a core of six who all have full-time jobs on the side, The Citizen has grown exponentially,” says Zacharias. “Simply for these reasons, and Niverville being the fastest growing community in Manitoba, I believe The Citizen is still in its beginning stages. So stay tuned!”
The Citizen in 2023
In just eight short years, the paper has grown and evolved at a steady pace, leaping from its original 2,500 papers per month to a total circulation of 6,600 in the last few years. Six full- and part-time journalists round off the writing team, producing, on average, one news story per day.
The Citizen’s website boasts an average of 25,000+ monthly pageviews. As for the print edition, it is estimated that each paper is read three times before it’s recycled. According to News Media Canada, the average reader rate for news publications in Canada comes to about 2.4.
In the coming months, The Citizen’s online readership will notice another new change. The time has come to develop and unveil a much-improved website, able to showcase bigger and better stories, with more pictures and unique features.
And, of course, the site will feature better advertising opportunities for local businesses. It’s the local businesses, after all, that really make the whole endeavour possible.
“It’s important to keep in mind that local journalism is facing big challenges right now, particularly in light of the recent moves from tech giants like Meta to remove journalism from its social media feeds,” Braun says. “But the world around us is always changing and throwing new curveballs our way. The challenge is always to grow and adapt. If we couldn’t grow and adapt, we wouldn’t have tried to start a newspaper in 2015 when so many other local papers were in the process of shutting down. Good things are ahead for our region, and we plan to be around to report on them for many, many years to come.”
For the People, by the People
“It’s always satisfying to create something brand new that makes an impact on the community, and to see The Citizen continue to not only be relevant, but to meet the needs and bring value to the local region, really does bring me joy!” says Ray. “We want people reading about what is transpiring in the community and region. When controversial items arise, the content brings accountability and visibility, and people can choose where they stand on those items.”
Braun is equally enthusiastic.
“Have I mentioned how rewarding it is to help promote all the local people doing amazing things?” asks Braun. “Sure, but let me mention it again. For the most part, we are telling stories no one else is telling—and certainly no one is telling them to such a detailed and extensive degree. Nothing could be more satisfying. Every month we hear from people who are appreciative of the degree of balance and thoughtfulness we bring to our coverage, which is gratifying.”
