A thank you to so many

With the pending purchase of The Bristol Press, the cloud of doom that has hung over this sturdy little daily has finally lifted.

And as I look around with fresh eyes at what happened, I realize that we have a great many people to thank, beginning with Mike Schroeder, who is taking a chance on us, on Bristol and on newspapers. He's making a good bet, but these are hard times, so it was a particularly gutsy move. I hope it pays off for all of us.

I also feel a deep gratitude for my friends in the media, old and new, who ultimately played a crucial role in getting the word out about the paper's plight. Without Dan Barry's story in The New York Times, Schroeder wouldn't be in the picture today. Without the stories that Barry saw beforehand, including Rick Green's column in The Hartford Courant, the piece in the Times would never have been written. And so on. It's remarkable how these things swirl around and, in the end, we can only be sure that every little bit helped.

Additionally, of course, I appreciate the way so many community leaders and politicians stepped to the forefront to help our little daily. I don't want to single any of them out -- but their names are already out there. Their assistance, especially the mayors of Bristol and New Britain, proved valuable.

A newsman from Bristol who works for the state House Democrats, Bob Douglas, also went above and beyond the call. His efforts are deeply appreciated.

I'm also indebted to the many regular readers who offered kind words these past two months (and long before that, too). It helped to know we were not in this alone, particularly because I truly believe that the paper's survival ultimately means more to Bristol than it does to Jackie and I, even though our family's livelihood is tied up in its success.

I'm also glad that my coworkers, some of whom I barely knew before this, have been almost uniformally supportive. I got to know some excellent people a whole lot better as we faced this crisis, especially our police reporter, Adam Benson, who created a Facebook page and was willing to stand in front of the TV cameras.

Finally, thanks to my family and friends, who were kind enough not to tell me that the cause was hopeless. Some went well beyond what anyone could ask.

It's been a trying, tough time, but also a wonderful one, thanks mostly to the many kindnesses offered by so many, even some of my blog commenters.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com