Jill's Journal: The inconvenience of a free newspaper ...

I just had to write about this one, folks.

Last week, we mailed out just shy of 11,000 copies of the Aug. 7 issue of the Brandon Valley Journal. It’s something we’ve done annually since our first-year anniversary, and something the industry allows us to do once a year. Of course, we do this as a marketing tool to build our audience. While a bigger audience doesn’t constitute more advertisers, it’s sometimes the difference of a “yes” or a “no”. As I told a subscriber last week, we could have 5,000 subscribers, but honestly, advertising is the “bread and butter” of our operation, hence the importance of supporting your local community newspaper.

For two days last week, we celebrated the start of our eighth year. We celebrated with subscription specials, door prizes, free trinkets and of course, the always-popular, not to mention, tasty birthday cake. With a skip in my step on the first day of our celebration, I was eager to see the familiar faces of our current – and some new – subscribers come through the door. But moments into scrolling through my email that morning, the skip in my step turned into a slow trudge. Following is the message that I received: “I request you please stop delivering your ‘paper’ to our address. I do not live in Brandon and do not care to receive this. Our address is blah, blah, blah …”

OK, I’ll admit my feelings were hurt a bit. Here’s why.

For starters, you’ll have a hard time convincing me that anyone is truly ‘put out’ by retrieving the “paper” from their mailbox. We didn’t throw it on the driveway. We didn’t leave it in the bushes or the grass or on your front step. And because it’s August, there was no cause for concern of it clogging up your snow blower.

It came in the mailbox, a place where most of us make a point to peek inside on the days that the Post Office delivers mail.

If people choose not to read it, so be it. If they choose to page through it, great! If they choose to read it, but not to subscribe, thanks for giving it a read. And of course, if they choose to renew or subscribe, well, then thanks for staying with us or welcome to the Brandon Valley Journal family! We’re glad you’re here.

Perhaps I was reading too much into this simple email message. It’s only human nature to feel bad when someone chooses not to accept a gift you are giving them. Although there were no harsh words in the email, my eyes kept going back to how they referenced “paper” in quotes.

We are a true newspaper, one that you can read in print or online. 

We are a community newspaper, dedicated to informing our readers on local topics that are of importance to local people. Week in and week out, no one else is documenting the history of our communities and our school district. Let’s be honest, the big media companies only come into our communities for the big headlines moments, most times reporting on negative or controversial topics.

We’re here for the big and the little things, big things like water emergency declarations and little things like a youngster’s lemonade stand.

We relish in telling the stories of the great people who live here or have ties to our coverage area, hence the recent story on two young women representing the U.S.A. in beach volleyball at the Olympics.

We celebrate the successes of high school athletic teams and fine arts programs. 

And we mourn with you in the loss of a family member or a friend in the obituaries and death notices that we publish.

We all have a story to tell. And we’re here to tell yours.

Now in the second week of our eighth year of publication, I want to offer a sincere “thank you” to our subscribers – current and new, alike. Thank you for taking us out of the mailbox each week and into your homes, picking us up at the newsstands or reading us at the doctor’s office. Thanks for making us your “paper.”