To volunteer fire departments across the country local community newspapers are our bread and butter vehicle for getting news out to the community. Unfortunatly, like many other print publications, local papers are also suffering through hard times. I think it is our responsibility to tell as many members of our communities as possible that these new sources are vital to spreading the local word.
It seems local and community newspapers have been hit the hardest by the unstable economy. In fact, at least 120 local newspapers in the U.S. have shut down since January 2008, according to Paper Cuts, a website that tracks the newspaper industry. However, visit this site at your own risk. The map of newspapers that have closed or stopped publishing a newsprint edition is a depressing sight.
In order to spread the good word about the benefits community papers offer, the New York Press Association started a $4 million statewide ongoing ad campaign that started in the spring, highlighting the fact that local papers provide strategically tailored, demographically-focused information relevant to communities. The ad campaign features about a dozen examples of failure — a pickup half-sunk in a river, a speeding ticket, a father and son staring longingly at an empty carnival site. The tag line on each is ‘Your Community Paper. Told Ya.’ You can see all the ads at Community Newspaper Branding Camapign
Local newspapers have an opportunity to offer news that readers aren’t going to get on TV, radio, or Web sites. Many feel that readership can be increased by focusing on local news coverage — like our fire departments, little league sports, school news, births, anniversaries, obits, etc.
One of the current problems with community papers is that publishers should focus on the unique benefits that these local papers can offer, like through the NYPA ad campaign, an not attempt to guilt the community into increasing readership and advertising spends as so many do.
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