By CHRIS MULDROW
Publisher, Fredericksburg Today
Back in May, I wrote a column to let you know that a new nonprofit news operation was being built in our region, and it would eventually take over Fredericksburg Today.
That day has come. On Monday, February 19, Fredericksburg Today will turn into The Fredericksburg Free Press.
Chris Muldrow might have more time for paddling after The Free Press launch.
Over the past year, a group of volunteers have worked their butts off to build The Free Press. We have formed a board, we have recruited advisory panels, we have built a budget, we have gotten our official IRS 501c3 status, we have raised money. We have even gotten a generous donation of office space so The Free Press news team has a place to work together.
Many people have been involved in the process, but the tireless efforts of Mitzi Brown and Seth Silber have really driven the effort to get this thing off the ground. I’m not sure Mitzi has slept for the past year.
The most important part of this whole process happened over January, when we interviewed and hired three experienced reporters to join the team. Joey LoMonaco, Kathy Knotts and Taft Coghill started work on February 1, and they had already written news stories on February 2. We THOUGHT they weren’t going to publish anything until the 19th, but they hit the ground running and have already started covering the community.
I’m also excited that the Free Press news team has met with B101.5/WFVA’s Ted Schubel, who has really been the lifeblood of this site. Ted will be working closely with the news team, and there’s a section on the site for news from Ted.
I told someone that, back in 2017 when I took over Fredericksburg Today, I did it because I felt like this community might have a need for a strong locally-owned news voice in the region. It was like buying land that had oil under it, knowing that one day we’d need to tap that oil. Ted and I have kept the land tended, and now with The Free Press it’s time to go full speed ahead. I’m happy to donate Fredericksburg Today to the effort.
But now it’s your turn. In order to make this thing work, it’s going to need community support. It needs readers, but it also needs donations to keep operating. You can go to https://donate.fredericksburgfreepress.com and give a one-time donation, or you can give on a recurring basis. Every little bit helps, and you can donate knowing that your money is going directly to provide objective, solid news coverage of our home.
It’s been an honor workng with Ted on Fredericksburg Today over the years, and I’m eager to continue volunteering to help the Free Press team moving forward. Join us!
