In the doom-and-gloom days of print journalism, six newspapers covering a city of fewer than 15,000 people might seem excessive. Claremont doesn't think so.

When the Eagle Times - the city's lifeline for news for nearly two centuries - ceased production and its owner filed for bankruptcy in July, residents said they felt lost, disconnected and even abandoned. Media reports were quick to point to the paper's demise as another sign that print journalism was dying. But the Times's void produced unexpected outcomes: It's not only given residents a new appreciation for local news, but a lot more of it.

After a three-month hiatus, the Times was resurrected last week under new ownership. In its absence, a string of publications stepped up to fill the news gap: Two new weeklies - The Compass and the Claremont Villager - have since sprouted; the Valley News, a neighboring daily, opened an office downtown and hired new city reporters; and two existing weeklies - the Claremont City Post and the Weekly Clarion in Vermont - beefed up their coverage too.

Publishers interviewed last week said that despite the Times's return, they have no plans to pull out. Many said the influx of coverage for a place like Claremont - a rebounding mill city that's had its fair share of economic woes - is positive, and enables residents to access a wide range of news and information that wouldn't otherwise be available.

"I almost look at newspapers like radio stations. Some have a country format while others have a rock format," said Jody Reese, a publisher of The Compass, a weekly publication with a circulation of 10,000. "I think newspapers are still very vibrant in New Hampshire and in the nation. This town just sort of shows

that newspapers can survive in this kind of economic environment. It's exciting to watch."

Reese, who's also a publisher for Manchester's HippoPress, said work on The Compass began as soon as the Times closed its doors. With one full-time writer and three freelancers, the paper has taken a "less traditional" approach to its coverage. Based on early feedback from residents, he said the paper opted to bring readers arts and entertainment pieces, food reviews and columns written by people who know the city.

When word got out that the Times was coming back, Reese said the management team discussed whether it should stick around. But business has been good for The Compass, he said, and it's established a core base of advertisers "who are committed to us and what we're doing," he said.

"We do something very different than the dailies here," Reese said. "We've produced a paper that people really like. If it survives and people read it, then it's got a place here in Claremont."

The prospect of all six newspapers surviving seems doubtful, at least if you ask Salmon Press Publisher Rich Piatt, whose company jumpstarted the weekly Claremont Villager in September. Piatt questioned whether Claremont can support a daily paper and said he believes weeklies are the next wave for journalism.

"After the Eagle went out, it became obvious that maybe the town and the area couldn't support a daily," Piatt said. "Everything here now is a little different, but I don't think all the papers can be supported. I don't think the market will stand."

The Villager, which Piatt said is modeled on the late Argus Champion, a Kearsarge-area weekly also owned by former Eagle Times publisher Harvey Hill, has staff that includes four former reporters and two former ad reps from the Times. The paper, which has focused on general news, features, sports and having a local opinion page, plans to stay. It costs $12 for a year's subscription, or 75 cents per copy on the newsstand. It's up to 7,000 subscribers in and around Claremont, Piatt said.

Corralling advertisers has been a challenge, Piatt admitted, but the Villager has aimed to serve local businesses - something that the old Times may have lost sight of, he said. "When we talked to local advertisers, they thought the Eagle had lost its local angle," Piatt said. "Maybe that's why some pulled back." (next page »)