In this week91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频� who is now a journalism professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University 91裸聊视频� 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.
91裸聊视频淚 just thought, 91裸聊视频極h, I could do that. That will make me feel better,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Skelton said.
91裸聊视频淎nd then I thought, if I91裸聊视频檓 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 News91裸聊视频� upcoming Thursday, April 9 edition.
91裸聊视频淯nder normal circumstances, there91裸聊视频檚 plenty of ads, plenty of flyers and we get to enjoy (community papers) for free, but we91裸聊视频檙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.91裸聊视频�
Rick O91裸聊视频機onnor, president and CEO of Black Press Media 91裸聊视频� the parent company of Peace Arch News 91裸聊视频� 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, O91裸聊视频機onnor said.
Though the particulars of each newspaper are different, O91裸聊视频機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 91裸聊视频� a number that does not include overhead or staffing costs.
Peace Arch News91裸聊视频� circulation is 37,000.
91裸聊视频淭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.91裸聊视频�
Skelton said he gets the sense that many people have 91裸聊视频渜uite a bit of affection91裸聊视频� for their local media outlets, though there are others who may take them for granted.
91裸聊视频淎 good way to frame it is, 91裸聊视频楬ow would you feel if the Peace Arch News didn91裸聊视频檛 show up next week?91裸聊视频� Right now, we91裸聊视频檙e in a position where at least in the short-term, that91裸聊视频檚 a very real possibility (for many community papers),91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淭he big provincial, national, metro (news outlets), they do a great job, but they can91裸聊视频檛 be everywhere. They aren91裸聊视频檛 covering White Rock city council or Surrey school board on a regular basis. They aren91裸聊视频檛 covering the debate about dogs on the promenade or talking about raising money for the pier.
91裸聊视频淚f these papers go away, nobody91裸聊视频檚 covering (these cities). I think maybe we forget the value of them.91裸聊视频�
If you value your local community newspaper 91裸聊视频� and you want it to be around when all this is over 91裸聊视频� there91裸聊视频檚 an easy way you can help:
91裸聊视频� Chad Skelton (@chadskelton)
Buy an ad.
I can confirm it91裸聊视频檚 super easy to do and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.
These days, though, many residents get their news online 91裸聊视频� from newspaper websites like peacearchnews.com and others 91裸聊视频� 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.
91裸聊视频淚n a community like ours in particular, there91裸聊视频檚 a lot of elderly people, and they91裸聊视频檙e not on Twitter. So for a lot of them, to know what91裸聊视频檚 going on in their community, to know how to keep themselves safe, it91裸聊视频檚 really important. To our most vulnerable citizens, I think community papers are even more important.91裸聊视频�
There91裸聊视频檚 another benefit to them, as well, he laughed.
91裸聊视频淚 was joking with my wife and said, 91裸聊视频榃here are all the old people going to complain if they can91裸聊视频檛 write letters to the editor?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�
While not everyone has financial means to purchase an ad on the front page as Skelton did, classified ads 91裸聊视频� many of which can be bought online 91裸聊视频� can run for as little as $30-$40, he noted.
91裸聊视频淥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,91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淭he pier is an interesting (comparable). The pier gets washed out91裸聊视频� and a lot of people said, 91裸聊视频業 don91裸聊视频檛 want to live in White Rock without the pier, so I91裸聊视频檓 going to step up and donate, I91裸聊视频檓 going to put my name on a plank.
91裸聊视频淲ell, I don91裸聊视频檛 want to live in White Rock without the Peace Arch News. It91裸聊视频檚 a part of the community the same way that the fish-and-chip places down on Marine Drive are.91裸聊视频�
editorial@peacearchnews.com
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