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Newspaper changes in Moline pit tradition against technology

There’s nothing quite like the sound of newspapers rolling off the presses. That rumble could even shake The Dispatch building in Moline back in the day. ...

There's nothing quite like the sound of newspapers rolling off the presses.

That rumble could even shake The Dispatch building in Moline back in the day.

"If you've ever been in a press room, and they take off, it's a great feeling," recalled longtime publisher Jerry Taylor.

But by mid-February, the big press in Moline will fall silent.

The Dispatch and Rock Island Argus is moving printing to Cedar Rapids.

18 full time jobs will disappear.

Another eight staffers from news, advertising and circulation are taking a buyout to leave the company.

That leaves about 190 jobs at both papers.

"It's very difficult to lose people you worked with for years," Taylor said.

Taylor, who joined the newspapers in 1975, knows about the tug-of-war between tradition and technology.

"Our folks are really good," he continued.  "We're proud of the printing they do.  I think they do the best printing in this part of the country."

But their printing press dates back to 1972 and would cost millions of dollars to replace.

While readers shouldn't notice any differences, behind the scenes it will be quite a change.

"You really have to wait until deadline because you don't know what's going to happen," said the late Russ Scott during the 2004 presidential election.

Scott, a longtime managing editor, recalled tense, last-minute decisions at deadline.

"Came this close to stopping the presses," he said at the time.

Eleven years later, hundreds of U.S. newspapers now use regional print shops.

"I don't think it's really the end of an era," Taylor said.  "I think it's the latest chapter in change, and change has become more rapid in our business."

Change that's also painful in Moline.

It's tough to lose good local jobs.

"In the case of the press department, we have a number of people that have been here 20 to 30 years," Taylor concluded.  "Of course, these are difficult times."

Times made tougher when the press stops rumbling in February.

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