The times they are a-changin’ and, perhaps, nowhere is that more obvious than the media industry.
With news literally at our fingertips and with more options for obtaining information than ever before, we really are living in an information age.
The upheaval in the newspaper business continues unabated around the world, as outlets shrink and many close. But in some small communities like ours, news outlets are as popular as ever.
Niagara-on-the-Lake, too, has been touched by all this change – not too long ago the new corporate owners of NOTL’s nearly century-old paper, the Advance, shut down the paper, creating a veritable news desert in our fair town.
Bad news, good news: from that unfortunate closing came The Lake Report, a small, independent publication, with no mandate other than to publish the news and offer the residents of NOTL a professional, viable and respected news outlet.
Started on a wing and a prayer – literally a shoestring operation – your Lake Report has grown into a well-loved, well-read and well-respected publication that brings you dozens of engaging, relevant NOTL news items you simply will not find anywhere else.
However, the newspaper business model that worked wonderfully for 300 years – relying on advertising to pay the bills – is broken. Niagara advertisers have been absolutely generous in supporting The Lake Report since its inception and because readers have embraced the newspaper, those businesses that support us have reaped the benefits. We are indebted to all our advertisers, big and small. You have brought us a long way.
We also are indebted to a wonderful cadre of community contributors, who week in and week out, write stories and take pictures for The Lake Report. Our advertisers, our contributors and our readers form a winning trifecta.
Unfortunately, as anyone who has run a small business well knows, cash flow can be a huge headache. The Lake Report is not losing scads of money, but we are in need of a boost. When your main expenditures – printing, distribution and salaries – have to be paid weekly, while each edition’s revenues don’t arrive in for several more weeks, cash flow can be a real burden.
Hence, as you might have seen on page 3, we have taken the extraordinary step of coming to our readers and asking you to consider helping us continue to bring NOTLers all the news you expect and deserve.
It’s a big ask, one made with great humility – and a bit of humour. Guaranteed free papers for everyone, and large, really big or ginormous heartfelt thank yous to recognize your contributions. It is an unusual request but these are unusual times.
When it comes to bringing you the news, our readers have said overwhelmingly that The Lake Report stands head-and-shoulders above all other local media. We want to continue to do that for years to come. But right now, we need your help.
If you are able to help us in some small way, we think our community will be all the better for it.