On our Twentieth anniversary...

This issue marks the 20th anniversary of the All Point Bulletin. Nearby we have printed the remarks of the founding editor and publisher Glennys Christie who tells how the All Point Bulletin came about and the motivations that drove her coverage.

Twenty years is a long time for any business but perhaps even longer in the precarious world of small-town newspaper publishing. For the newspaper business, the last two decades have been tumultuous. The introduction of desktop publishing meant virtually anyone with an idea and money for a computer could start up a newspaper, an idea that occurred more than once to people who were upset with our coverage. Even with the rise of the internet, the need for a newspaper to cover the local news and events is obvious.

Since Louise and I purchased the newspaper from Glennys in 1991 we have gone on to start up The Northern Light weekly newspaper in Blaine and Birch Bay (people around here were taking bets on how long that would last – 10 years and counting) as well as some other publications, guides and maps. Even though the APB plays a less prominent role in our daily work, it still remains our favorite publication.

There are a number of reasons for this. It was our first publication and first babies are always close to one’s heart. (You gotta love something where people flip you the bird and tell you you’re nothing but a !!??!! paperboy.) It’s also the quirkiest of our papers. (Remember the April issue where we announced a breakthrough that would allow people to read the names of people in the sheriff’s report if they squeezed lemon juice on them?) Mostly the quirkiness reflects the place that we call home, Point Roberts, and the people who live here. Sometimes it seems that if you’re not reading about them in the sheriff’s reports, you’re hearing them in the letters to the editor.

Which, thankfully, brings me to my point. The All Point Bulletin has always demonstrated to us the power and the beauty of a small-town paper – its ability to allow people to have a voice and a say in their community. People ask us occasionally why do we publish this guy’s letters or that guy’s letter and our answer is always the same – the letters page is our readers’ forum and it’s there so they can sound off on the things that are important to them.

On this 20th anniversary, then, we’d like to thank our advertisers who pay for the staff, the newsprint and the printing and all the other costs that go into the newspaper and, occasionally, the profits.

We’d especially like to thank our staff, former as well as current, for the jobs they do while computers are crashing, and deadlines are looming. They make the place fun to come to in the morning. We thank also our columnists who provide a local voice and sensibility to the paper.
We would like to thank Glennys Christie who founded the paper and gave us the opportunity to buy it. Who then stuck around us to teach us how to publish a newspaper. Any lessons that failed to take was due to us and not her, the consummate pro.

Finally, we would like to thank our readers without whom there would be no point in what we do. We appreciate their support and suggestions and criticisms. We like the first two the most but learn the most from the latter.

With this issue, we have converted to full color reproduction. We have often thought, while picking photos for an issue, ‘aw, it’s too bad we didn’t have color .’ Point Roberts is so colorful both in its inhabitants as well as its natural attractions that it seemed a shame to just print in two colors plus black. As well, we are embarking on a design make-over, starting with the color and the front page. Our goal is to increase readability. We hope you like the changes.

Anyway, here’s to the next 20 years!

Pat Grubb
Publisher