Editor's Log

Polkadate Sept/Oct 2020. The Covid-19 calamity has forced the restructuring of many lives. We will explore some of those lives that have changed this year.

Most humans are creatures of habit. TPN readers were used to seeing their favorite newspaper in their mailboxes around the first of the month. When the cancelation/postponement of advertising revenue started to trickle in, publication of the TPN was condensed to bi-monthly. TPN fans were tolerant and understanding of the need. When the trickle became a torrent of reduced cash flow it became necessary to shut the publication down. When the Polkabeat empire was offered to me by the publisher, I pondered it for a while and a stripped down, possibly workable model began to take shape in my mind. While seeking input on my emerging plan, one of the several people I consulted was Mark Hermes at the Texas Czech Heritage and Culture Center (TCHCC) to draw on his music event background. Our discussion led, after dialogue among other TCHCC members, to the decision that the TCHCC was interested in acquiring the TPN. To continue operations, the TCHCC got in touch with the Fayette County Record, a local newspaper. Those two entities entered negotiations with the end result being that TCHCC would take over ownership of all things Polkabeat/Texas Polka News. The Center would contract with the Record to handle all the heavy lifting (advertising, subscriptions, e-blasts, etc.) in an attempt to make the transition as seamless as possible to our subscribers and friends in order that the subscribers habits would not be altered. It was agreed that I would keep the same editor/photo-journalist duties.

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