Jun 18, 2009 - 04:30 AM

By Jillian Follert

PORT PERRY -- For a small town, Port Perry has a big media presence.

There are two different weekly newspapers and a monthly magazine, all dedicated solely to the happenings in a municipality with a population of about 21,000.

Is it too much media saturation? As newspapers around the world struggle with a new media landscape, what does the future look like for community publications?

Those were just a couple of the questions tossed out at a Conversation Cafe event in downtown Port Perry last week.

About 30 people gathered at Queen Beans coffee house to discuss the role of the local media with a panel of three hometown experts -- Tim Whittaker, publisher of the Metroland Durham Region Media Group -- which publishes the Port Perry Star and nine other newspapers in Durham and Northumberland -- Rik Davie, publisher and managing editor of the independent newspaper the Scugog Standard, and Peter Hvidsten, publisher of Focus on Scugog, a monthly magazine.

"We are so blessed to have three publications, living in a small town," said Scugog Councillor Larry Corrigan, who helped host the event. "They are a wonderful way for people to stay connected with their community."

While most people in the audience echoed those sentiments, saying they read all three cover to cover, there were some concerns. Business owners, landlords and others who make use of advertisements and classifieds, said having three publications in town has been tough on their budgets.

"Now we have to split our advertising budget three ways, it's difficult because you're all valid, you all have an audience," said Scugog resident Daphne Mitchell.

Those in the hot seat acknowledged the concern, but Mr. Davie pointed out that having just one local publication can also pose problems for business, because a monopoly doesn't encourage competitive ad rates.

"Maybe if there weren't three, you wouldn't be able to advertise with one," he said.

When it comes to the future of weekly and community publications, all three panelists said they are working hard to stay sustainable.

Mr. Whittaker noted the Metroland papers have developed a huge online presence at www.newsdurhamregion.com, which features news stories, photos, videos, interactive maps and blogs. He said the website is changing the pace of community newsgathering.

"Instead of having a story in the paper on a Wednesday or a Friday, it can be on durhamregion.com within an hour," he said. "We're moving towards being a 24/7 operation."â?¨ The Standard also has a website, updated weekly with content from the paper, and Mr. Davie said they stay viable by listening closely to community feedback, whether it comes from letters to the editor or informal chats in the grocery store.

Maintaining a strong local identity, "front porch news" as Mr. Davie put it, will also be key to sustainability.

"A lot of newspapers are losing their identity, they're writing about things that aren't part of their community," said Scugog resident Betty Penny, noting she was shocked and confused to see U.S. President Barak Obama on the front page of the Toronto Star recently.

Readers can now get national and international news from thousands of online sources, but local news can only be found in a handful of places, which gives local media a good shot at survival, Mr. Whittaker said.