In this weekB次元官网网址檚 issue of the readers will likely notice, in the bottom-right corner of the front page, an ad that is a little different than what you are accustomed to seeing.
The black-and-white advertisement is a note written by White Rock resident Chad Skelton, urging other local residents to purchase space in their community newspaper.
The current economic climate has seen businesses in every community shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which, in turn, has affected newspaper advertising.
A former reporter at the Vancouver Sun, Skelton B次元官网网址� who is now a journalism professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University B次元官网网址� said he got the idea for the ad from former Sun colleague Frances Bula, who a few weeks ago on Twitter urged people to take out ads that did everything from thank health-care workers and grocery-store staff to simply saying hello to a grandparent who may be stuck indoors and away from family during this period of self-isolation.
B次元官网网址淚 just thought, B次元官网网址極h, I could do that. That will make me feel better,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Skelton said.
B次元官网网址淎nd then I thought, if IB次元官网网址檓 going to take out an ad anyway, maybe it would be good to take out an ad encouraging other people to take out an ad.
By Friday morning, about a half a dozen local residents had taken Skelton up on his challenge, purchasing ad space in Peace Arch B次元官网网址B次元官网网址� upcoming Thursday, April 9 edition.
B次元官网网址淯nder normal circumstances, thereB次元官网网址檚 plenty of ads, plenty of flyers and we get to enjoy (community papers) for free, but weB次元官网网址檙e in this sort of extreme situation where ads are drying up, so if you want the papers to exist today, and want them to exist tomorrow, you kind of have to step up.B次元官网网址�
Rick OB次元官网网址機onnor, president and CEO of Black Press Media B次元官网网址� the parent company of Peace Arch B次元官网网址 B次元官网网址� echoed those statements, adding that the current economic crisis is difficult for businesses like community papers that rely so heavily on advertising revenue, both in print and online.
Revenue has dropped 40 to 50 per cent in two weeks, OB次元官网网址機onnor said.
Though the particulars of each newspaper are different, OB次元官网网址機onnor said that, as a general ballpark figure, the cost to print and deliver each edition of the paper is 25 cents per copy printed B次元官网网址� a number that does not include overhead or staffing costs.
Peace Arch B次元官网网址B次元官网网址� circulation is 37,000.
B次元官网网址淭he double-whammy for newspapers is that the government considers them an essential service, and so they should be, but by the same token, good local journalism costs money.B次元官网网址�
Skelton said he gets the sense that many people have B次元官网网址渜uite a bit of affectionB次元官网网址� for their local media outlets, though there are others who may take them for granted.
B次元官网网址淎 good way to frame it is, B次元官网网址楬ow would you feel if the Peace Arch B次元官网网址 didnB次元官网网址檛 show up next week?B次元官网网址� Right now, weB次元官网网址檙e in a position where at least in the short-term, thatB次元官网网址檚 a very real possibility (for many community papers),B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淭he big provincial, national, metro (news outlets), they do a great job, but they canB次元官网网址檛 be everywhere. They arenB次元官网网址檛 covering White Rock city council or Surrey school board on a regular basis. They arenB次元官网网址檛 covering the debate about dogs on the promenade or talking about raising money for the pier.
B次元官网网址淚f these papers go away, nobodyB次元官网网址檚 covering (these cities). I think maybe we forget the value of them.B次元官网网址�
If you value your local community newspaper B次元官网网址� and you want it to be around when all this is over B次元官网网址� thereB次元官网网址檚 an easy way you can help:
B次元官网网址� Chad Skelton (@chadskelton)
Buy an ad.
I can confirm itB次元官网网址檚 super easy to do and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.
These days, though, many residents get their news online B次元官网网址� from newspaper websites like peacearchnews.com and others B次元官网网址� Skelton also points out that the print product is still essential for many, especially on the Semiahmoo Peninsula, which has a higher-than-average senior population.
B次元官网网址淚n a community like ours in particular, thereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of elderly people, and theyB次元官网网址檙e not on Twitter. So for a lot of them, to know whatB次元官网网址檚 going on in their community, to know how to keep themselves safe, itB次元官网网址檚 really important. To our most vulnerable citizens, I think community papers are even more important.B次元官网网址�
ThereB次元官网网址檚 another benefit to them, as well, he laughed.
B次元官网网址淚 was joking with my wife and said, B次元官网网址榃here are all the old people going to complain if they canB次元官网网址檛 write letters to the editor?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
While not everyone has financial means to purchase an ad on the front page as Skelton did, classified ads B次元官网网址� many of which can be bought online B次元官网网址� can run for as little as $30-$40, he noted.
B次元官网网址淥bviously, (some) people have lost their jobs, and you need to worry about feeding yourself, but some people like me are lucky enough to still have a steady job,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淭he pier is an interesting (comparable). The pier gets washed outB次元官网网址� and a lot of people said, B次元官网网址業 donB次元官网网址檛 want to live in White Rock without the pier, so IB次元官网网址檓 going to step up and donate, IB次元官网网址檓 going to put my name on a plank.
B次元官网网址淲ell, I donB次元官网网址檛 want to live in White Rock without the Peace Arch B次元官网网址. ItB次元官网网址檚 a part of the community the same way that the fish-and-chip places down on Marine Drive are.B次元官网网址�
editorial@peacearchnews.com
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