Start planning now to produce year-end edition

Jim Pumarlo

Aug 1, 2025

The Hallmark Channel has just wrapped up its movie lineup for those who love to celebrate Christmas in July. It serves as an excellent reminder to start planning keepsake year-end editions. Seize the opportunity to produce solid content and generate revenue.

Many staffers might gasp at the thought of producing another special section. Begin taking baby steps now so the task does not seem so foreboding.

Editorial content, if collected incrementally, can be generated with minimal stress on resources. Consider these possible elements for the edition:

• Chronicle top local news stories, categorizing by each month. Take time now to record the top reports from each edition to date. Going forward, spend five minutes to write the top headlines from each edition. Summarize each story in one or two sentences.

• Do the same with the top sports stories.

• In similar fashion, capture the top photos. Some might be stand-alone; others could accompany a story. The photos can be inserted in the layout of the monthly chronologies.

• Remind readers of your editorial initiatives, as well. Reprint the most formative paragraph, again organizing by the calendar.

• Letters are the lifeblood of an editorial page. Thank your letter writers. Publish the names of all contributors in alphabetical order. Go a step further and select a handful of letters that struck a chord with the community. Reprint those with the author’s photo. Consider taking it to the next stage and ask the authors to write why they wrote the letter and the reactions they received.

These are but a few ideas. Brainstorm with staff, and you’ll likely come up with other content. Then do a monthly checkup to make sure files are being updated regularly. Steady progress will result in fewer headaches and less chaos as December rolls around.

Many news organizations rank the top 10 stories of the past year. Do the same for your community. Your top 10 will be the anchor for the holiday edition. Create a list of the nominees and poll your newspaper staff. Consider broadening the exercise by selecting a handful of community members to weigh in.

Summarize these stories in greater detail in the edition. Where appropriate, talk to the key players and update the status of the circumstances.

Some top stories will be by consensus, no matter who is asked. The ranking of others will depend on individual perspectives. A column from the editor or publisher is an excellent avenue to announce the year-end edition and explain the process for identifying top stories.

Many newspapers already have a vehicle for producing a holiday edition. Ad departments regularly solicit holiday greetings. They can be published in one or two editions. Combine those efforts now, and alert merchants to the distinctive content being prepared for this special edition.

Timeliness and relevancy are key, especially if businesses are offering holiday greetings. I recall one newspaper that produced its “year in review” edition two months after the calendar turned. By that time, most readers had put the previous year in their rearview mirrors.

Jim Pumarlo is former editor of the Red Wing (Minnesota) Republican Eagle. He writes, speaks and provides training on community newsroom success strategies. He is author of “Journalism Primer: A Guide to Community News Coverage,” “Votes and Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election Coverage” and “Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in Small-Town Newspapers.” He can be reached at www.pumarlo.com and welcomes comments and questions at jim@pumarlo.com.