Greg Bestick is the president of the board of Harpswell News, the nonprofit organization that publishes the Anchor. He was a member of the founding group back in 2021, and since then has led the Anchor with wonderful talent, dedication and good humor. Greg has served as president or CEO of companies in the entertainment and technology space, has been executive director of a community development corporation that built housing for low-income families, and has served on the boards of several for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
Recently we sat down with him to chat about his Anchor leadership:
1. You have had a lot of experience running companies and nonprofits, but never a newspaper. What inspired you to lead this project?
When the old Anchor shut down in the fall of 2020, many of us realized we needed a reliable source of local information if we were going to stay healthy as a community. Fortunately, we had local residents with the right mix of journalism and fundraising and business skills to relaunch the paper. And they were willing to roll up their sleeves and do the work. All of which made my part easy: Point in a certain direction and step out of the way.
2. What do you think is the biggest benefit that the Anchor has provided for our community?
We work hard to live up to our mission statement, which is to be an accurate, nonpartisan news and information resource for Harpswell residents, businesses and nonprofits. The goal is to inform residents so they’ll be able to make good decisions about Harpswell’s future. It’s also great that more residents are using our website and Facebook page to get local breaking news.
3. Why do you think it’s important for people to support the Anchor?
The old for-profit model of subscriptions and ads doesn’t work for local newspapers anymore. Over 2,000 local papers have shut down in the last 15 years! If communities want a robust local paper, they have to help fund it. Close to 60% of the Anchor’s revenues come from individual donations and business sponsors. The rest is local advertising and a few grants. This is a sustainable model for local news, but it’s only as good as the community support it receives.
4. The Anchor has now been published for over three years. What has been the most important thing you’ve learned about the organization since its launch in 2021?
When we started, we wondered if we could come up with enough content to fill 20 pages each month. That has never been a problem. Harpswell has a complex culture and is full of interesting, accomplished people. There’s also a rich history and compelling questions about the future. The paper can provide a window on all of that. Also, I’ve learned that you need a strong editor and an equally strong business/fundraising side to make an organization like this work. The journalism and the business sides reinforce each other so that each can do what it does best.
5. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Although we’d been vacationing in Harpswell for over two decades, when Christine and I moved here full-time in 2020, we didn’t know how we’d adjust from big-city life. Getting involved with the Anchor helped us learn about the community and gave us the chance to contribute something useful to the town. I feel lucky that I get to work with such a talented board and staff. I believe the nonprofit local news movement is vital for promoting civic engagement in Maine and beyond. It’s gratifying that other communities see Harpswell as a model and come to us for advice on how to start a local paper.
