In this week香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播� who is now a journalism professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University 香蕉视频直播� 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.
香蕉视频直播淚 just thought, 香蕉视频直播極h, I could do that. That will make me feel better,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈 Skelton said.
香蕉视频直播淎nd then I thought, if I香蕉视频直播檓 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 News香蕉视频直播� upcoming Thursday, April 9 edition.
香蕉视频直播淯nder normal circumstances, there香蕉视频直播檚 plenty of ads, plenty of flyers and we get to enjoy (community papers) for free, but we香蕉视频直播檙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.香蕉视频直播�
Rick O香蕉视频直播機onnor, president and CEO of Black Press Media 香蕉视频直播� the parent company of Peace Arch News 香蕉视频直播� 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, O香蕉视频直播機onnor said.
Though the particulars of each newspaper are different, O香蕉视频直播機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 香蕉视频直播� a number that does not include overhead or staffing costs.
Peace Arch News香蕉视频直播� circulation is 37,000.
香蕉视频直播淭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.香蕉视频直播�
Skelton said he gets the sense that many people have 香蕉视频直播渜uite a bit of affection香蕉视频直播� for their local media outlets, though there are others who may take them for granted.
香蕉视频直播淎 good way to frame it is, 香蕉视频直播楬ow would you feel if the Peace Arch News didn香蕉视频直播檛 show up next week?香蕉视频直播� Right now, we香蕉视频直播檙e in a position where at least in the short-term, that香蕉视频直播檚 a very real possibility (for many community papers),香蕉视频直播� he said.
香蕉视频直播淭he big provincial, national, metro (news outlets), they do a great job, but they can香蕉视频直播檛 be everywhere. They aren香蕉视频直播檛 covering White Rock city council or Surrey school board on a regular basis. They aren香蕉视频直播檛 covering the debate about dogs on the promenade or talking about raising money for the pier.
香蕉视频直播淚f these papers go away, nobody香蕉视频直播檚 covering (these cities). I think maybe we forget the value of them.香蕉视频直播�
If you value your local community newspaper 香蕉视频直播� and you want it to be around when all this is over 香蕉视频直播� there香蕉视频直播檚 an easy way you can help:
香蕉视频直播� Chad Skelton (@chadskelton)
Buy an ad.
I can confirm it香蕉视频直播檚 super easy to do and gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.
These days, though, many residents get their news online 香蕉视频直播� from newspaper websites like peacearchnews.com and others 香蕉视频直播� 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.
香蕉视频直播淚n a community like ours in particular, there香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of elderly people, and they香蕉视频直播檙e not on Twitter. So for a lot of them, to know what香蕉视频直播檚 going on in their community, to know how to keep themselves safe, it香蕉视频直播檚 really important. To our most vulnerable citizens, I think community papers are even more important.香蕉视频直播�
There香蕉视频直播檚 another benefit to them, as well, he laughed.
香蕉视频直播淚 was joking with my wife and said, 香蕉视频直播榃here are all the old people going to complain if they can香蕉视频直播檛 write letters to the editor?香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈
While not everyone has financial means to purchase an ad on the front page as Skelton did, classified ads 香蕉视频直播� many of which can be bought online 香蕉视频直播� can run for as little as $30-$40, he noted.
香蕉视频直播淥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,香蕉视频直播� he said.
香蕉视频直播淭he pier is an interesting (comparable). The pier gets washed out香蕉视频直播� and a lot of people said, 香蕉视频直播業 don香蕉视频直播檛 want to live in White Rock without the pier, so I香蕉视频直播檓 going to step up and donate, I香蕉视频直播檓 going to put my name on a plank.
香蕉视频直播淲ell, I don香蕉视频直播檛 want to live in White Rock without the Peace Arch News. It香蕉视频直播檚 a part of the community the same way that the fish-and-chip places down on Marine Drive are.香蕉视频直播�
editorial@peacearchnews.com
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