By Staff
Jonathan Willis
Everyone has heard the old question, 'what's black and white and read all over?'
Answer: The newspaper.
Well how about this question.
'What's faster than a computer, more convenient, more portable, much less inexpensive, does not require wires, cables or batteries and can be taken anywhere?'
Answer: The newspaper.
Contrary to what many people believe, community newspapers remain a viable and important source of news the general public still relies on for its news and information.
You may be wondering, how is reading a newspaper faster than a computer?
Well, you can pick up a paper and scan it from page one to the back page for the stories and ads you want to see in a blink of an eye compared to the time it takes to turn on a computer, find the correct website and scroll through the menu.
With a newspaper, all you have to do is turn the pages and glance at the headlines to find the object of your interest. It holds true for news stories and advertisements alike.
Now I don't want to underestimate the importance and helpfulness of computers, but when you want to read the news in a hurry, a newspaper is still the best option. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars and then tack on a monthly fee either.
Many large newspapers are struggling to make ends meet for many reasons. Some of that is due to large out-of-scale payrolls like takes place in many corporations. Community newspapers, however, are handling today's economy better than most.
It certainly takes some changes and much harder work, but community newspapers are finding ways to re-invent themselves and still produce products that are valuable to their readers.
The following comments are taken from a guest editorial written by William Garber for the Publishers' Auxiliary.
"Community newspapers remain strong and can be expected to do better than holding their own. They aren't slashing staff. They aren't going to Web-only editions. Publishers and their crews are rolling up their sleeves, working a little bit harder at generating new revenue streams and getting on with their business.
"But make no mistake; the goal of optimizing today's opportunities is a solid, enduring business that will be able to serve the community for generations to come. And such a business by definition is solidly profitable.
"After all, the majority of today's community newspapers already survived the Great Depression, war rationing, changes in technology and the transition from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy, to a service economy, to say nothing about Wal-Mart."
That's why The Franklin County Times is entering its 130th year as this county's newspaper.
Here are some statistics compiled by the National Newspaper Association:
While these statistics represent what I believe to be a true finding, there is no doubt that we are in the middle of a time for change.
That's why The Franklin County Times also features its own Website (fct.wpengine.com).
But the content for the site is generated through your local newspaper and the reporters and advertising representatives who care about getting it right and providing our readers and advertisers with the entire story.