We are excited to announce that the Ginger Falls Wisconsinner, the premiere cultural magazine of Ginger Falls, Wisconsin, is under new ownership. A small group of private investors has acquired the Wisconsinner from Moderne Capital.
Moderne was a fine steward of the Wisconsinner from its 2006 acquisition and integration of the magazine into its larger Ginger Falls Times-Herald-Examiner portfolio all the way through the conglomerate’s folding in early 20081. Throughout it all, Moderne remained proud of the Wisconsinner’s many achievements2.
With the new ownership comes a new editorial team.
We recognize that the media landscape has changed, and we believe the Wisconsinner must adapt to those changes. As such, you’ve probably noticed by now that we have launched this new website. Even more exciting, in addition to sifting through the archives and publishing popular or historical pieces online, we will be adding new content written by on-staff writers for the first time since 2007. We will also be scanning in your old favorite, iconic covers from past issues3.
There is much to celebrate from the Wisconsinner’s long history. And some to atone for. Like any historical publication, there are more than a few regrettable covers, articles, opinions, and predictions4. But we refuse to look away from these pieces because we believe that the only way to atone for the past is to meet it head-on. We can meet it without dwelling, though.
Speaking of dwelling, we are grateful to once again operate out of the Wisconsinner’s original historic office in the heart of downtown Ginger Falls. We are also thankful that Moderne left enough copper plumbing for us to install our gently-used Keurig to once again be able to provide our hard-working employees with free store-brand coffee5.
Unlike with Moderne’s acquisition of the Wisconsinner in 2006, we have only this letter to publish; there are no pink slips to hand out, no efficiencies to find. And we thank Moderne for that. We would also like to thank Moderne for discounting these assets like they were Nancy Chalke at her annual garage sale. Because of that, we have a long runway and no debt, other than a debt to this wonderful community6.
So check back to see what once made the Ginger Falls Wisconsinner the most aesthetically pleasing organ in the Falls, including timely reporting, classic reviews, unflinching profiles, and fiction. You will also see new articles from our talented team of writers, eager to share the stories of people around town. And yes, there will always be Police Blotter.
On behalf of all of us at the Wisconsinner, welcome back to Ginger Falls.
- Moderne Capital itself did not fold. In fact, it has since raised 5 additional private equity funds, and the acquisition of the Wisconsinner is still listed as a “Success Story” on Moderne’s website. ↩︎
- So proud that the Wisconsinner’s sole Pulitzer Prize still sits stoically on the lakehouse mantle of the second-most senior Managing Director at Moderne Capital. You can’t buy visibility like that. Not anymore, at least. In 2009 the statue was listed on eBay for $500. It received zero bids, and eBay removed the listing for fear that the statue was a forgery. ↩︎
- We will scan them as fast as the Ginger Falls Public Library and the Ginger Falls Historical Society can track them down. You’d be surprised how much artwork went missing from the office. ↩︎
- Many related to Wisconsin’s own disgraced Senator Joe McCarthy, or “Iwo Jima” Joe as the Wisconsinner once incorrectly called him while claiming he was one of the Marines who raised the flag at Iwo Jima in the iconic photo. ↩︎
- Thank you to Nancy Chalke, who marked it down to $5.00 from $8.00 at her annual garage sale. ↩︎
- And some money we owe to our parents, who bought the building. But as we told them: it’s our inheritance anyway. The worst that could happen is the building is repossessed by MNI Bank. It would not be the first time. ↩︎