As the South Whidbey Record reflects on 91 years of continuously serving this community, we’re taking time to reflect on what that means, and our role as your local newspaper.
Self-promotion is not a strong suit for community newspapers. We are great at tooting others’ horns, but very rarely our own.
That’s why, in today’s Record, we are launching our new campaign, “We Are Whidbey,” with a full-page ad. During the coming year, we will also be sharing the story of this newspaper and its amazing staff.
In addition to 91 years, here are some other numbers to consider:
21 — That’s the number of people who work for the Whidbey News Group, receiving benefits, vacation and sick leave. These are people who shop in our community, attend their children’s and grandchildren’s athletic events, volunteer, vote … these are your friends, neighbors and relatives who believe in the role of a community newspaper. These are people with ink in their blood.
386 — That’s the total number of years members of this staff have worked in newspapers, most of which has been at Whidbey News Group. That’s experience that’s hard to replicate. Within those years are thousands of hours interviewing sources, writing and editing copy, taking photos, working with advertisers, building ads, delivering missed newspapers, stuffing envelopes, taking telephone calls, building pages … the list goes on.
21 — That’s the total number of carriers who deliver the newspaper to your homes, often in the pitch black of the wee morning hours, rain, snow or hail. Whidbey Island is expansive, and many people live down long, unpaved roads. It’s not a glamorous job. It is on the front lines, though, and they are an invaluable part of this team.
336 — The number of twice-weekly, weekly and monthly publications we print each year. Those publications are The Record, the Whidbey News-Times, The Whidbey Examiner, Crosswind, Whidbey Xtra and Homes Land Islander.
45 — The number of special interest publications that we produce each year, including the Islander, the premier visitors guide to Whidbey; Best of Whidbey, a holiday gift guide; sports programs, songbook, Who’s Who and A Taste of Whidbey menu guides.
849,379 — That’s the number of page views we received during March on our Whidbey News Group four websites: southwhidbeyrecord.com, whidbeynews
times.com, whidbeyexaminer.com and whidbeycrosswind.com. That’s a lot of eyes on our websites. As proof that the community values the role of their local newspaper, our web subscriptions have grown by 10 percent each quarter since we introduced the metered wall last year.
3 — That’s the number of offices we have on Whidbey Island: One in Freeland, one in Oak Harbor and the main office in Coupeville. Each is staffed and open 8-5, Monday through Friday.
2 — The number of agencies that audit our numbers. The Record and News-Times are audited by Certified Audit of Circulations, or CAC, and The Examiner, which is mailed, must submit a statement of ownership outlining circulation once a year to the U.S. Postal Service.
Your local newspaper, The Record, isn’t about the institution, the walls around it or the paper it’s printed on. It’s about the people who work here, who pour their heart into putting out publications we can all be proud of.
It’s about those who advertise in our pages, it’s about celebrating a free press, and it’s about all of you who read it faithfully.
That’s why our message this coming year is “We Are Whidbey. We Are You.”
It doesn’t get more local than that.
— Keven R. Graves is publisher of the Whidbey News Group. He was born and raised in Anacortes and has worked in newspapers for 29 years, 16 of those years on Whidbey.
