When I was hired, the Nevada Press Association board said I could work in Las Vegas, Reno or Carson City. The 2019 legislative session was scheduled to begin a week after I arrived in Nevada, so working in the capital made the most sense. Plus our beautiful and historic headquarters building is located in Carson.
Carson City is by far the smallest city I’ve ever lived in, but my lifestyle here has been oddly urban-like, mostly because my wife and I live in an apartment in “downtown” Carson that is literally a block from the NPA office. Turns out I love Carson City and I’ve never worked in a space I enjoy as much as the Rinckel Mansion.
Richard Karpel
What is your background?
I’ve managed a number of different trade associations and professional associations, most of which have represented newspapers and/or journalists. I was the first executive director of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, which represents papers like the Chicago Reader, Las Vegas Weekly and Reno News & Review. I was also executive director of the American Society of News Editors (now called the News Leaders Association) until we moved it from the Washington, DC area to Columbus, Missouri.
I was one of those people who never really figured out what I wanted to be. Nevertheless, I ended up with a career that has been well suited to my talents and interests. After graduating with an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Illinois, I went to law school, passed the Illinois bar exam and … got a job in a record store. Assistant manager of the Flipside Records store in Skokie, to be exact.
One thing led to another and I ended up running organizations that represent media. I have a huge interest in politics and public policy and journalism, and I believe strongly in the First Amendment and open government, so I’m very happy with how things have turned out.
Why are you so interested in the issue of public notice?
There are a number of reasons. First, I believe effective public notice is one of the cornerstones of open government. The fact that public officials actually passed laws requiring the government to buy ads in newspapers informing the public about official actions is still astounding and inspiring to me.
Second, for better or worse, public notice has become a revenue source that is vital to the survival of many newspapers. Third, in addition to serving as the executive director of the Nevada Press Association, my small association management firm also represents the Public Notice Resource Center, a national group that provides education and research and tracks public notice legislation in all 50 states.
What do you find most interesting about Nevada? Were there any stereotypes that you found to be wrong?
To be honest, I knew so little about Nevada before I got here that I wasn’t aware of the stereotypes. What has surprised me most about the state is how damn large it is in terms of square mileage and how rural it is outside of Las Vegas and Reno-Tahoe.
I was also stunned to learn the federal government owns 87 percent of the land here. I was even surprised that there are parts of the state that actually get cold, which should give you some idea how little I knew.
Since I know you like watching movies, can you talk about your favorites?
My favorite movie of all time is Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil, a black and white crime drama/film noir made in 1958. I also love old movies like Night of the Hunter, Double Indemnity, Anatomy of a Murder, In a Lonely Place and the The World of Apu. My taste runs toward the dark! More recent favorites include About Schmidt, No Country for Old Men, Ex Machina and 1917. My favorite journalism movies, if you can call them that are the Sweet Smell of Success, Ace in the Hole and Nightcrawler.
To be honest, the only thing about Nevada that has disappointed me is that it isn’t much of a movie state. For example, there was a fabulous film released last year called The Mustang. It was shot in the Carson City area but it played in a single theater here for only one week and I heard absolutely nothing about it.
What else should we know about you that you are proud of?
Professionally, I’m proud to be able to say I had the foresight to hire some great employees. One later became the first openly gay member of the Virginia legislature. Another, who had been a journalist, was recently elected as the first transgender legislator in the U.S.
I’m also proud of my wife, who is one of the warmest, kindest, most thoughtful and emotionally intelligent people I’ve ever met.
Kim Palchikoff
Kim Palchikoff is an award-winning reporter who has written for the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the L.A. Times, the Las Vegas Sun and other publications.
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