Our community achieves an epic milestone this week with the 100th edition of Naracoorte News.
Your support has helped us achieve our community dividend of over 1.2 million words of local stories published and more than $65,000 donated to local service, arts, and sports groups.
I am filled with gratitude as I write to you.
We launched in May 2020 because of our unified disdain for Australian Community Media’s disgraceful corporate behaviour that stopped our paper and told us we were not worthwhile.
We launched because my Mum, Sue Waite, had just received news that her cancer diagnosis was now terminal, and we were returning home to Naracoorte to try to comprehend that.
What has happened in our 100 editions since I will always be grateful for.
You, our ~5,000 readers, have sustained us – buying ~2,000 copies of The News each week.
You, our advertisers, sponsors, and members, have sustained us – investing ~85% of the funds we need to operate The News each week.
You, our team members, vendors, community story writers, and seed investors have sustained us – working with such incredible professionalism, dedication, and energy to create The News each week.
Impact
I have learned so much as a founder and volunteer of The News.
With this being my volunteer passion project, of zero salary or financial dividends, it really honed my thinking of community impact and how the local newspaper can contribute.
Firstly, the very real and visible impacts.
The 5+ local jobs we sustain. The local vendors we engage. The printed newspaper that carries your stories throughout our region. The News Gives Back that has given over $65,000 to local groups, with no strings attached. These are funds sent with admiration to each group for their contribution to our communities.
Then the intangibles, which are almost impossible to define or value.
We have provided professional journalists who fearlessly cover the foundational pillars of communities: healthcare, education, infrastructure, and communication.
This reporting builds community confidence and resilience. It is reporting that will lead to accountability, transparency, and better performance for councils, businesses, and organisations.
Next
We have launched our annual membership campaign. If you have the capacity to join or renew your membership please take that step today (see ad above). We will be massively grateful, and it gives our whole team an enormous lift when people join our membership.
Our annual advertising sponsorship package campaign is off to a great start. To the organisations that have already signed up or renewed for 2022/23, thank you.
Our team will always be evolving. Danielle Moore, General Manager, continues to do the most incredible job leading The News for over 70 editions. We are forever grateful for her service, professionalism, business and community leadership. We are working through Danielle’s transition, and we look forward to sharing news of the next leader of The News soon.
Kim Batchelor, Sales Manager, and Veb Johnson, Sales Representative, are a dynamic sales team who partner with Danielle to create so much impact and value with our advertisers and sponsors. I am just so grateful for their tireless work. Without our sales team we would not be here, so please support them anytime you can.
Paul Mitchell, Amanda Hinton, Alison Fraser, Laura Bockman, and Sam Barnett (and the Hansen Design & Print team), thank you for your behind-the-scenes work that makes the paper possible.
Our journalists: Chris Oldfield, Gabrielle Duykers, and Sheryl Lowe. Thank you. And thank you to Eliza Berlage and Alice De Bruin who shared their writing career journey with The News too.
Your writing helps build resilience, transparency, and accountability. This impact can (unfortunately) take a very long timeframe, but know that your professionalism, skills, and stories are making this impact in our communities and that is a wonderful service, contribution, and legacy. Please continue to support our journalists with information anytime you can – it makes a huge difference to our paper and community.
Today
Please rally behind your local newspaper in any way you can today. Membership, sponsorship, advertising, buying more copies of the paper than you need every week and sharing them in the community … any and all of these make a positive impact.
I love the conversations via email and phone that I have with people throughout the year.
Please do not hesitate to continue to reach out if I can be of service to you. I can be reached at michael@naracoortenews.com or (08) 8121 4141.
Thank you for the opportunity and support that has achieved 100 editions of The News. WOW!
Quick reference contact info:
Advertising and Sponsorship Sales: sales@naracoortenews.com or call Kim Batchelor 0407 330 037
News/Stories/Sports Reports/Community Notices/Give Back Registration/Membership/General
Enquiries: news@naracoortenews.com
Leadership: Danielle Moore (danielle@naracoortenews.com; 0400 732 580); Michael Waite (michael@naracoortenews.com; (08) 8121 4141)
This article appeared in Naracoorte Community News.