Letter from the Publisher

Magazines and newspapers have been dying in slow motion for two decades now. Local news is in the midst of a long financial crisis; print media is continuously hit with layoffs and decreasing page counts, and ultimately, long-established magazines and papers are going belly-up.

More and more small towns and mid-sized cities have no local newspapers, and some have no magazines either. The remaining publications have downsized their staffs tremendously. This forces employees to wear several hats simply to make ends meet.

When I founded Katy Christian Magazine in 2005, two other local Christian magazines and a Christian yellow page were in circulation. Each of these publications is now defunct. Many other local publications have also perished or opted to maintain an online presence only.

When print media dies, America will suffer a great tragedy. I urge you all to remember that local publications provide unique and crucial services to the public. They recount the raw and earnest stories of the faces within our own communities. Moreover, they report on the regional events and news that national media conglomerates overlook. Studies show that when no local media is present, voter turnout lowers. City and state governments, left without the checking elements of local news, inevitably become corrupt.

Magazines have sputtered for years as their monopoly on readership and advertising is erased by Facebook, Google and other more nimble online competitors.

And yet most locals haven’t noticed. Seven in 10 Americans believe that their local news outlets are doing “very or somewhat well financially,” according to a new Pew Research survey.

This, to put it mildly, is a misconception.

Perhaps most alarmingly, as local journalistic establishments have fallen, they have not been replaced by a better system of news. Instead, no suitable replacement exists at all. And as they die off, many local residents are not even aware of it.

Once local news is entirely erased, the community will notice. They will long for the days of respectable journalism and local news coverage, but it will be too late.

Joseph R. Menslage
President/Publisher
Katy Christian Magazine

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Joseph Menslage

As the President and Publisher of Katy and Fort Bend Christian Magazines, Joe Menslage is committed to covering social and political news from a Christian worldview. He founded Katy Christian Magazine in 2005, which swept the greater Houston and Katy areas like a storm. That’s when Joe realized the urgent need for publications willing to give voices to the voiceless, without political correctness or censorship. Joe Menslage founded sister-publication Fort Bend Christian Magazine in 2014. Prior to creating Katy Christian Magazine, Joe Menslage led a colorful life. He was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, spent a great deal of his childhood in Colorado, and lived in a couple of other states before he moved to Houston in 1981. Joe was God-gifted with an entrepreneurial mind, and self-started other business ventures before he found his calling. In Joe’s words, our innate talents are given by the Lord, and are meant to be used to serve the Lord. Aside from being a President and Publisher, Joe Menslage is also the co-founder of Katy Christian Chamber of Commerce, where Christians can network, build business connections, listen to passionate speakers, and enjoy monthly breakfasts and lunches. Joe Menslage also hosts a weekly political satire YouTube channel. Joe Menslage has four children. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, watching zombie movies and K dramas, ax-throwing and Krav Maga.