The Express moves to Wednesday

Staff Report

Starting next week, the Red Oak Express will have a new look as it moves printing operations to its sister newspaper in Harlan. The move means the newspaper will go from 22” wide to 25”, meaning larger photos and a more readable font. Color registration, which has long plagued the newspaper, will also improve.
Red Oak Publication General Manager Tess Nelson said the decision was necessary in order to continue operations and put out a quality product.  
Head Pressman Paul Dumler said years of post production neglect led to this day, noting prior ownership bought machinery like bundlers that weren’t compatible with the Goss Press while neglecting routine maintenance.
“We just couldn’t put out the quality product for the people of Red Oak,” Dumler said.
Regional Publisher Joshua Byers said Dumler and his entire crew over the year’s but in particular Shawn Parker were to be commended for keeping the press running as long as they did.
“I’ve seen a lot of presses in my time and while Red Oak wasn’t in the worst condition, it would have needed major repairs to put out the quality product we want for our customers,” Byers said.
All press and mailroom employees were offered a job in Harlan
With an opportunity to re-examine printing schedules as they relate to news content, Nelson said the newspaper will move its print day from Monday to Tuesday, which will allow for more up-to-date content.
“With the Red Oak City Council and Red Oak School Board meeting on Monday nights, and the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday mornings, it was impossible for us to deliver that information to our subscribers without it being more than a week late,” said Nelson. “Moving to a Tuesday publication will allow us to cover those entities in a more timely manner. It is something we have discussed the past several years.”
Changes go into effect Tuesday, Feb. 1.
 Advertising pricing will remain the same and advertising deadlines will not change, but ad sizes will increase, giving more value to current and future advertisers.
“We take pride in what we do here at Red Oak Publication. The decisions to improve the content and packaging of our newspapers are ones I feel will allow us to continue delivering the news you trust and rely for the next 154 years,” said Nelson.