Forever thankful
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How do you start to thank the many thousands of people and businesses who have contributed to our community newspaper? Where do you start? Well, let’s start with you, yes you, the individual reading this column. Thank you! Okay now only several thousand more and we’ll be getting close… Maybe to save on space and time I’ll come up with an analogy to describe how important you are to this newspaper. Think of the community as a giant jigsaw puzzle. No, I don’t like jigsaw puzzles, let’s go with a giant cookie, yeah, cookies are better… Several key ingredients make this delicious treat and without all of them, a cookie wouldn’t be so sweet.
The same is true with your community newspaper. Without advertisers we couldn’t have printed and distributed 520 consecutive issues of the Journal. Without our 17,000 plus readers each week those advertisers wouldn’t be getting a return on their investment. Without readers sending us press releases, news tips, letters to the editor, calendar items, classified ads and shopping at local advertising businesses, this giant cookie would go flat. You see, we can’t do this without you; we need you. You are a key ingredient to this business’s success.
Thankfully from week one we hit it off like a couple of old souls, working side-by-side and growing this mutually beneficial relationship along the way.
Quite often I am stopped by readers who, after thanking me for printing the local newspaper, nearly always ask how we put the paper out for free? I guess the short answer is it’s not free. You pay for a copy every time you shop at one of our local businesses. As for thanking me, please instead thank our advertisers and encourage other businesses you shop with to advertise with us. This is the single biggest thing you can do to help this paper continue to grow. Local businesses have many marketing options available to them and when they invest in the Journal they are investing in you. Please continue to shop locally.
Saturday, September 20th marks the completion of our 10th year at the Valley Journal. Although many newspapers have been around longer, starting and running a locally owned newspaper (without corporate backers) in today’s world is becoming a much more difficult challenge. The fact that we have not only made it but have grown by leaps and bounds speaks volumes to the great community following we have and the want and need for quality local news. We have become the best-read newspaper in Lake County because of you. It has been an honor and a privilege from day one and we’re looking forward to many years to come.
I would love to see you and thank you in person for your readership, your business, your friendship. Please join us at our 10-year celebration, at the Ronan Community Center this Saturday, Sept. 20 from 2-6 p.m. Bring a friend or the whole family and come prepared to have some fun. We’re here with you, here for you, here because of you. We are Your Homegrown Newspaper, and with full hearts, we thank you!
