White Rock鈥檚 Rick O鈥機onnor is still getting acclimated to relaxation, he admits.

But the former President and CEO of the Black Press Media Group 鈥� owners of news media outlets in BC, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Washington State, Alaska, and Hawaii 鈥� said it鈥檚 a transition he鈥檚 more than ready to make.

鈥淭he first 10 days has been fantastic,鈥� O鈥機onnor 鈥� who retired from his post on Sept. 2 鈥� said Monday.

鈥淚鈥檓 so used to saying I鈥檓 not going to do this or that on Sunday, because Monday is coming up,鈥� he added. 鈥淣ow Monday doesn鈥檛 matter as much.鈥�

O鈥機onnor said he and his wife Pam, who moved to the Semiahmoo Peninsula in 1991 and raised their family here, are looking forward to eventually travelling to favourite places around the world.

鈥淚鈥檇 love to do a golf trip to Ireland and Scotland 鈥� my wife has already been there 鈥� and to revisit Italy and Hawaii and other places we鈥檝e been to and loved,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e not going to be travelling too much until travel becomes easier.鈥�

O鈥機onnor, formerly a Peace Arch Hospital Foundation board member, said he plans to continue his 鈥減assionate involvement鈥� with the development and improvement of services at the hospital, and in promoting health care in general in the community.

And while he鈥檚 not been actively involved in coaching softball and soccer since the days of his children鈥檚 athletic careers (he was recently named to the BC Softball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport, including launching the UBC Women鈥檚 Varsity Softball program in 2009) he still retains a lively interest in local sporting organizations.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful to see how, in a community like this, they continue to offer an involvement opportunity,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not moving anywhere, so obviously we鈥檒l stay involved in the community in any way we can.鈥�

O鈥機onnor said he would probably have chosen to retire a couple of years earlier, after a 40 year-plus career in the newspaper and media business.

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鈥淏ut then COVID hit 鈥� which became an exercise in crisis management. We鈥檝e kind of got through that now, so I thought that this is probably the time to hand things over to other colleagues in Black Press Media.鈥�

His first involvement with newspapers came in the late 1970s when he was working for a radio station in Prince George that had established a satellite station in Vanderhoof.

鈥淥ur job was to provide an on-air presence in the morning, to go out and sell ads and then come back and record and produce them,鈥� he remembered. 鈥淭hen in the evening we鈥檇 cover events and add voice clips to the stories.

鈥淭he radio station was connected to the newspaper there 鈥� in the same building 鈥� so I got to watch it at work. Then a little while later, in 1978, when everybody in town was complaining about the existing newspaper, I sold my car, bought some equipment and started a paper of my own.鈥�

It was a different world, O鈥機onnor recalled 鈥� one without cellphones or the internet.

鈥淭he primary means of communication was through the newspaper 鈥� it was through that you set about winning the hearts and minds of the readers. Now there are so many different platforms people can receive information from.鈥�

O鈥� Connor recalled that some of his happiest times were meeting the challenges of starting up new newspapers 鈥� something he did in many markets after selling his first two papers to Black Press Media in 1983, first as vice president of newspapers for the Lower Mainland Publishing Company, and later from 1998, as president of the Metro Valley 亚洲天堂paper Group.

But as 鈥渆xciting and stimulating鈥� as these experiences were, O鈥機onnor 鈥� who was awarded the prestigious Dean Lesher award in 2009 for outstanding contributions to the community newspaper industry in North America 鈥� believes the really exciting time to be in the media industry is now, after the last 20 years of technological advances, when news is 鈥渋nstantaneous鈥� and there are multiple opportunities for journalists to interact with the public.

While competing for business with media giants such as Google and Facebook presents undeniable challenges, O鈥機onnor said the benefits of being able to communicate in more sophisticated ways still outweighs them.

More than that, he said, he believes maintaining locally-based media is a crucial component in the fabric of communities, and society in general, with professional journalism continuing to act as as a necessary analytical 鈥渇ilter鈥� for the polarized viewpoints to be found all over the web.

鈥淎nd having watched (hometown paper) the Peace Arch 亚洲天堂 over the years and the kind of work people there have done, and the work they continue to do for the community, I鈥檇 like to continue to encourage people to support their local newspaper and media company,鈥� he said.

Even in retirement mode, he suspects he will still be involved in the industry part-time.

鈥淚鈥檓 interested in how we can create a business model for newspapers and media companies that is sustainable 鈥� how can I use my years of experience to create something, down the road, that everyone will benefit from, not just Black Press.鈥�

alex.browne@peacearchnews.com
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