OWASSO — The Owasso Reporter newspaper folded two years ago, but Owasso is resurrecting it.
The city of Owasso recently purchased the previously defunct newspaper and will use it as an information hub for its residents.
Owasso Marketing and Communication Specialist Art Haddaway is very familiar with the former newspaper and has been instrumental in reviving it. Haddaway is the former managing editor of the Reporter, and the newspaper is being reborn as more of a newsletter for the city.
“It’s an online-only publication. It’s not monetized. We’re not throwing ads on there. There’s no paywall. There’s no subscriptions,” Haddaway said.
The city purchased the Owasso Reporter properties from the Tulsa World, which includes the website and all previously published content. The website will not cover crime or politics, but its purpose is to shine a spotlight on events and things happening in the community.
Whether it’s a water main break or a construction project, residents can get important information for free on the website. Owasso started the process of purchasing the newspaper around nine months ago, and Haddaway is ready to start writing stories about Owasso again.
“It’s just simple. It all comes down to we just, right off the top, bought this thing and now it’s ours to use at our discretion. That means no monetization, no ads, no subscriptions. It’s a pretty simple concept. There’s not anything really more than that other than it’s just an information platform that people can get for free now,” Haddaway said.
