.png)
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
There are some decisions that are easy to make, and there are others that weigh heavily because they involve something people genuinely care about. This is one of those decisions.
After careful consideration, I have decided that Mason County Press and Oceana County Press will discontinue regular coverage of local school sports.
Until this past winter, it had long been our practice not to cover local school sports. That decision was never because we didn’t believe high school athletics were important. It was simply a matter of resources. With a small staff and limited funding, it wasn’t financially feasible to cover sporting events five or six nights a week while continuing to provide the local news coverage our readers have come to expect.
Many of you told us you wanted to see local sports included in our online publications. We listened and decided to give it a try.
Beginning with the winter sports season and continuing through the spring, we made the commitment to cover local school athletics. We were fortunate to receive support from several local businesses that sponsored our sports coverage, and we sincerely appreciate their investment. We also received enough sponsorship support during the spring season to continue the effort.
Unfortunately, that level of support has not continued, and we have been unable to generate enough additional sponsorships to make regular sports coverage financially sustainable.
Today, Mason County Press and Oceana County Press operate with just two full-time employees, including myself. The advertising support we receive, along with revenue from our Daily Briefing subscribers, allows us to maintain our current staffing levels and cover the costs of operating our business. It does not provide the additional revenue needed to cover sporting events several nights each week.
Like many people who own small businesses, I wear a lot of hats. In addition to serving as editor and writer, I also handle bookkeeping, sell advertising, manage business operations and oversee many of the behind-the-scenes responsibilities that keep both publications running. Every evening spent covering a game is time away from those responsibilities and from covering the local news our communities rely on each day.
This decision is not a reflection on our schools, student-athletes, coaches or athletic programs. They deserve recognition for their hard work and accomplishments. It is simply a recognition of the financial realities of operating an independent local news organization with limited staff.
Although we will no longer provide regular game coverage, we will continue to feature student-athletes and teams when they achieve something exceptional, just as we recognize outstanding students, educators and school activities throughout the year. Telling those stories remains an important part of our mission to highlight the people and organizations that make Mason and Oceana counties great places to live.
I want to sincerely thank the businesses that sponsored our sports coverage over the past two seasons. Your support gave us the opportunity to test whether this service could be sustained, and we are grateful for your confidence in our publications.
I also want to thank everyone who read our sports stories, shared them on social media and encouraged us along the way. Your enthusiasm demonstrated that local sports matter to our communities.
This decision is not necessarily permanent. If enough businesses are willing to invest in sponsoring local sports coverage, or if reader support grows to a level that makes it financially sustainable, I would be happy to revisit it. I believe local sports deserve coverage, but they must also have a business model that makes that coverage possible.
For now, our focus must remain on providing the comprehensive local news coverage that Mason County Press and Oceana County Press were created to deliver. Making difficult decisions like this is part of ensuring these publications remain financially healthy and continue serving our communities for many years to come.
As always, thank you for reading, for supporting local journalism and for believing in what we do.
If you own a business and would like to advertise, please email editor@mediagroup31.com or call 231-690-3216.
______________________
Please Support Local News and Sports Coverage
For generations, local newspapers were supported by subscriptions. Today, while Mason County Press and Oceana County Press remain free to everyone, the cost of producing quality local journalism continues to rise.
If you value independent local news and sports coverage, we invite you to help sustain it by subscribing to the MCP/OCP Daily Briefing for $12 a month — about 40 cents a day — or $120 a year.
Your subscription helps support the reporters, photographers and editors who cover local government, schools, community events, sports, breaking news and the stories that matter most to Mason and Oceana counties. In return, you’ll receive the MCP/OCP Daily Briefing each morning with the day’s headlines, along with occasional breaking news and special email editions.
Monthly subscriptions are available for $12 per month.
Click here to subscribe monthly.
Annual subscriptions are available for $120 per year. That’s a two month savings!
Click here to subscribe annually.
If you prefer to pay by check, mail your $120 annual payment to:
Media Group 31, LLC
P.O. Box 21
Scottville, MI 49454
Please include your name, mailing address, email address and telephone number so we can activate your subscription.
Subscription payments must be received before service is activated.
Whether you choose to subscribe or continue enjoying our free content, thank you for reading Mason County Press and Oceana County Press. Your readership—and your support—helps ensure that independent local journalism remains available to everyone in our communities.
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2026 by Media Group 31, LLC, P.O. Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. All rights reserved. No portion of this story or its images may be reproduced in any form, including print, broadcast or electronic media, without the express written permission of Media Group 31, LLC.
As a news organization, Media Group 31 maintains published content as part of the public and historical record. Accordingly, stories are not removed after publication. At the editor’s discretion, stories may be updated or corrected as new information becomes available. Updates may be made by revising the original story or by publishing a follow-up story. Media Group 31, LLC reserves the right to modify this policy at any time. Please refer to our Use Policy for additional information.
