The Faces of the Press & Dakotan – Gary Wood vBy Reilly Biell For almost 15 years, Gary Wood has overseen the behind-thescenes productions of the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan and Missouri Valley Shopper in Yankton and the Vermillion Plain Talk and Broadcaster Press in Vermillion. As owner/publisher of Yankton Media Inc., Wood keeps track of what goes on with the news, business office, circulation, advertising and composing departments. “Through the years, I’ve had the opportunity to deal with so many different people, and I’ve been fortunate to run into some very good people over the years,” he said. Wood has spent much of his adult life working in the newspaper industry. After completing a nine-year stint in the Army — during which he earned a business degree from Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) — he began his career in Los Angeles working in the classified advertising department with the Los Angeles Daily News. From there, he spent a few years working in the advertising department at the Denver Post in Colorado before striking out on his own and running his own advertising agency. However, he found that he missed being immersed in the newspaper world. “Newspapers have always been in my blood,” he remarked. After selling his advertising agency, he briefly worked for the San Francisco Examiner before relocating to Sioux City. He came to Yankton in 2003 when he was hired as publisher of the Press & Dakotan, Plain Talk, Shopper and Broadcaster by Morris Communications, Augusta, Georgia, which owned the group. After Morris sold the newspapers to Gatehouse Publishing in 2007, Wood saw a window of opportunity to become the owner of the “Yankton Group” (as it was known in Morris corporate circles), and he purchased the publications to form Yankton Media, Inc. The sale was finalized at the stroke of midnight on Leap Day 2008. “It’s a rare privilege to be an owner and publisher of a daily newspaper, a weekly newspaper and two weekly shoppers,” he said. “The trend in the industry has been corporate ownership, which has gone a long way towards hurting the newspaper industry. Sometimes, we’re our own worst enemy. As newspapers, we should be answering to Main Street, not Wall Street.” It also gave him the opportunity to stay in Yankton, which he and his family had come to consider home. The changes in the newspaper business during his 30-plus year career have been vast and game-changing, he said. “When I started back in Los Angeles, things were still being run through a hot waxer and put on a paste-up sheet,” he recalled. “And if Bob’s bike was his passion... We made sure his final ride was memorable. Planning in advance creates a funeral service that reflects your loved ones wishes. Celebrations of life as unique as the individual being remembered. Guiding and serving families with compassion and trust. Kevin Opsahl 14vHISVOICEvJULY/AUGUST 2018 Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton Memorial Resource Center, Tyndall Memorial Chapels, Tabor, Menno & Tyndall 665-9679 • 1-800-495-9679 www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com