Serving Communities Together: How Forum Communications and Column Are Making Public Notice Simpler for Customers

Public notice can be one of the more complex categories a newspaper manages. Publication requirements vary by state and notice type, deadlines are strict, and customers rely on newspapers to ensure their notices run accurately and on time. Managing the process requires specialized knowledge, careful coordination, and attention to detail at every step.

Payments are just one example of that complexity. “The person placing a notice often isn't the person responsible for paying the invoice,” notes Kyle Veum, Controller at Forum Communications. Many government customers require an affidavit of publication before they can process payment. And when billing information is incomplete or an invoice doesn't reach the right person, customers face unnecessary delays, newspaper staff spend time on follow-up, and payments take longer to process.

Forum Communications, a media company operating more than 25 publications, has partnered with Column since 2024 to make public notice processes easier for its staff and customers, while ensuring communities continue to have access to reliable public information.

As a Column Pro partner, Forum Communications pairs its local publishing expertise with Column's purpose-built technology and dedicated public notice specialists. Together, they support customers through the entire process, from placing a notice and meeting publication requirements to receiving proof of publication and completing payment.

The relationship goes beyond using Column's services. Forum Communications works directly with Column's leadership, product, and engineering teams to identify challenges, develop solutions, and continually improve the experience for the publishers and customers they serve.

Streamlining the Work Behind Every Notice

Publishing a public notice involves more than meeting a deadline. It’s ensuring customers can meet regulatory requirements efficiently and effectively.  Customers require clear instructions, accurate invoices, timely proof of publication, and a straightforward way to pay for the service they've received.

Column helps Forum Communications deliver that experience by handling much of the day-to-day administrative work, including customer support, invoicing, payment processing, and automated affidavits of publication.

"We don't have to have people preparing invoices, mailing invoices, receiving mail, or processing payments for public notices—all of that is handled by Column," says Veum.

For many government customers, proof of publication is required before an invoice can be processed. Column's automated affidavits service helps customers receive the documentation they need promptly, reducing follow-up and keeping the payment process moving.

Not every publisher on Column processes payments through Column; some choose to invoice certain notices through their own payment system. Column supports both approaches and in both cases the incentives around collections are aligned: Column doesn’t get paid until the publisher does. That’s why Column invests its technical infrastructure and dedicated resources in building collections tools shaped directly by publisher feedback, supporting both publishers and Column’s own team. Those tools include real-time reporting that shows exactly which invoices are outstanding and which are paid, and a dedicated purchase order field that helps government customers match invoices to their internal payment systems.

How Pro Partners Shape the Product

One of the biggest benefits of Forum Communications' partnership with Column is the ability to turn firsthand operational feedback into product improvements.

Forum Communications' finance team knows where public notice billing and payments can get complicated: missing purchase order numbers, incomplete billing information, invoices sent to the wrong contacts, and customers who can't process payment without the right documentation.

Rather than working around these challenges alone, Forum Communications works directly with Column CEO Megan Villanueva and the product team to develop solutions. Their collaboration has already helped drive improvements to invoicing and payment workflows, including a dedicated purchase order field and clearer visibility into outstanding balances.

Together, the teams are continuing to explore ways to capture more complete billing information when notices are placed and ensure invoices reach the correct recipients.

Forum Communications brings the experience of serving public notice customers and managing newspaper operations, while Column brings the technology and engineering resources to turn that expertise into better tools. Improvements shaped by Forum Communications' feedback can ultimately benefit publishers and customers across Column's entire network.

That collaboration reflects a shared commitment to delivering a reliable public notice service. When customers can place notices, receive documentation, and complete payments without unnecessary complications, customers win. That outcome reflects the commitment Column and Forum Communications share to the customers they serve.

"With this partnership, we know Column wants to make things better, and we're willing to work together to get there," Veum says.

Building a Better Public Notice Business, Together

For Forum Communications, the value of working with Column isn't just less administrative work or better software. It's having a dedicated partner invested in solving problems alongside its team.

Together, Forum Communications and Column are working to make public notice easier for everyone involved: customers can meet their legal obligations with greater confidence, newspaper staff can spend less time on administrative follow-up, and publishers can manage billing and collections more efficiently.

"Forum Communications and Column's shared responsibility is to ensure public notices are published for the good of the communities we serve."

That shared commitment is at the heart of Column's Pro partnerships: publishers shouldn't have to tackle the operational challenges of public notice alone. With the right partner, they can continually improve their operations, deliver better service to customers, and dedicate more time and resources to serving their communities.