Tri-State Christian News (TCN) was a tabloid sized newspaper begun by Steve and Penny Hanks in the Kentucky part of the Kentucky-West Virginia-Ohio Tri-State. I’m not sure when it began, but my friend Michael Burdick and I began working with it, doing deliveries and some writing about 1995.
When Steve and Penny moved to Florida about 1999, Michael and I took over ownership of the paper. We published it about every 2 months, and gradually increased publication from about 3000 to 20,000.
Michael’s step father, Harold Burdick, had once been the publisher of several different daily newspapers, one of which was the Herald-Dispatch, in Huntington, WV. It seemed appropriate to name Michael “publisher.” I was more aware of spelling and grammar than Michael was, so editing fell to me. Michael was the author of many articles. I mostly wrote Heritage Notes, a column memories.
We never did get backing from a collection of churches, as we had hoped, so we relied on selling advertising, as did Steve and Penny. Michael, and some friends that also did some of the reporting, sold most of the advertising, and I designed most of the ads. (A lot of unpaid work!)
We distributed the newspaper for free at every church we could find (and that would grant permission. Most would.) and any commercial establishments that would allow it. (Walmart was a biggie, until the KKK started distributing their literature and WM just banned everybody.) The final circulation of our “giant religious tract” reached about 20 or 25 thousand, I forget which.
We finally wore ourselves out, and stopped publication in 2001 (I think). We both miss it, a lot, but don’t have the energy and means to go it alone. We are getting to old for that.
I began archiving some articles here, but the old files outgrew the reach of updated software and computers, and I stalled out on the project. Maybe I can get going on it again, someday.
Maybe we could do an online edition? Anyone willing to write?
Neither Michael or I have any appetite for selling/designing advertising again!
tscnarchives 