Answering the coffee guys' question

Jana Mathia, Gazette Editor | Jun 11, 20200

Many people have asked-whether directly or secondhand-about the page count at the Gazette since the virus hit.

It all boils down to business practices, the bottom line and trying to keep our heads above water during what the economists have officially deemed a recession.

In newspapers there is ad hole and news hole. For the majority of newspapers, the size of the news hole--the space we get to fill with stories, features, records, etc.-is determined by the ad hole-how much space is taken up by paid advertising. Before, the Gazette was very free with its news hole, sometimes disregarding the bottom line.

When the pandemic hit and businesses shut down, it hit the Gazette's advertising and that of its new publisher, Free Press Publishing. The goal is for a newspaper to be about 50-50 news and advertising; unless you want to slowly circle the toilet of going into the red and bankruptcy. With the sudden economic reality, the Gazette now has to prescribe to a strict diet of maintaining the news/ads ratio to ensure future health and endurance.

The plan, the hope, the anticipation, is that as businesses begin to reopen and start advertising again, the Gazette will increase its page numbers, including more news and features our readers have come to expect. While our current diet makes it difficult to get in all the goodies we used to, we still try to sneak those things in-if you're going to stick to your diet, you still need a few desserts. We just can't fit as many desserts on our plate after making the proper room for the protein, vegetables and healthy carbs.

We are already seeing the plate grow-after several weeks at the same page count, this week the Gazette is a couple pages bigger. Over time, we hope to return to the heaping buffet of past years.

So thank you all and any advertisers--from the weekend yard sale classified ads to the full color, full page business ads, thank you for supporting the Gazette. Because that is what your advertising is. Yes, it promotes your business and connects you with customers, but it also supports our rural county journalism.

Our advertisers help ensure an impartial party at commissioners meetings, sports coverage for high school students, promotion of our town special events and overall coverage that keeps our little rural piece of America from becoming a news desert.

Thank you, also, our subscribers. We recognize and appreciate that your subscription is a vote of support for rural journalism, open government and community awareness.

You may not agree with everything that is printed in every issue, but your support means we can keep doing our due diligence to inform you what's happening in your region.

Jana Mathia

Gazette Editor