Getting into the balloon-festival business

Balloons hover near Bald Eagle Lake in Steamboat Springs in 2018I've been in the local-media business a long time and have gotten my hands into a wide variety of initiatives. And while I've managed events, I've never taken on something of the scope of a hot-air balloon festival. Well, that time has come. 

The Steamboat Springs Chamber of Commerce has handed management of the long-running Steamboat balloon event over the Steamboat Pilot & Today. We're thrilled to be entrusted to take over an iconic event that has brought tens of thousands of visitors to Steamboat over the last 37 years. 

This year's event will be July 13-14, and will feature early morning launches Saturday and Sunday and a Saturday evening "Night Glow" in which the hot-air balloon launches don't lift off but instead deliver a light show as night falls. 

I shadowed chamber staff during the 2018 Hot Air Balloon Rodeo to learn the ropes of putting on the event, and also attended the Soaring above Bald Eagle Lake at the 2018 Steamboat balloon event.much larger Labor Day Liftoff in Colorado Springs to pick up some other ideas. 

There are many things that work well with the Steamboat event, so we plan to protect what's working. One thing we will change is to rename the event the Steamboat Springs Hot Air Balloon Festival.  We will still offer competitions for the balloon pilots -- that's where the Rodeo term comes from -- but want to accentuate the full complement of activities visitors can enjoy while at the three balloon events. 

There is much planning to be done in the coming months, so stay tuned as we move forward. But be sure to block out July 13-14 on your calendars. 

Slow News and my interview with OPB

I recently participated in the invigorating Slow News and More Slow conference at the University of Oregon, an effort to discuss journalism alternatives to the never-endeding onslaught of 24-7 media.

I like to equate our 21st century news diets to being caught in a meteor storm. Our brains, for the first time in history, are unable to effectively absorb and process the countless streams of content pace enabled by a pace of technological change that is growing exponentially faster. More than ever, we need thoughtful journalism that offers perspective and relevance so that we can truly analyze what's important in our lives. 

"Slow news" is a term Laufer and others have coined to address the problem. Whether that is the right term is up for debate -- as it was at this conference -- but the quest to deliver more slower, more impactful journalism remains the goal. 

As part of the conference, I was interviewed from Portland live on Oregon Public Broadcasting's "Think Out Loud" program, and discussed "slow news," newspaper trends and my time leading the Register-Guard. You can listen to my segment here: 

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My new gig in Steamboat Springs

On June 11, I became the new publisher of the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

The photo that accompanies that story on my hiring was taken at the Yampa River, which runs through downtown Steamboat Springs.The Pilot & Today is a media company in Steamboat Springs, Colo. with a portfolio that includes a daily newspaper, a half-dozen magazines, a website and mobile app, events and a TV channel.

The company serves a vibrant resort community whose downtown is at 6,700 feet in the Rocky Mountains. The Pilot & Today is owned by Swift Communications, a regional family-owned media company that specializes in mountain resort markets with operations in Steamboat, Vail, Aspen, Park City, Lake Tahoe among others. 

I've been in the job about one month, and am having a blast. The market is

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