Civic-Minded Investors Launch Unique Digital News Model--Reach Goals in 3 Days
AUGUSTA, Ga., Jan. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To say the launch of www.theaugustapress.com was a success is an understatement. Prior to the first e-edition hitting inboxes on Jan. 11, Managing Editor/ Partner Scott Hudson sent "thanks" to his Facebook friends for ordering pre-sale subscriptions.
The former investigative reporter for Augusta, Ga., news-talk station, WGAC, wrote, "Thank you to my community. Thank you for supporting us."
When Hudson and other former Augusta journalists approached real estate brokers Joe Edge and Connie Wilson with a business plan for a "21st Century Newspaper," they were sold on the idea of investing in the venture. However, even Edge and Wilson had no idea that within three days--- the subscription level would reach a goal they had not anticipated reaching for a year.
"We know how to run a successful business, and we wanted to implement our processes and learn how to run a successful publishing company," said Edge, who is publisher of the digital daily. Wilson is the chief financial officer.
The angel investors saw the online newspaper as a chance to fulfill their civic responsibility, and the response to the newspaper after just a few days is evidence they are filling a community need.
Edge and Wilson felt something was needed to protect local journalism. Augusta used to include a thriving, daily newspaper founded in 1785 and two long-time niche publications.
That weekly, independent arts and entertainment newspaper, the Metro Spirit, ceased printing after more than 25 years.
"I used to love reading the Metro Spirit calendar to help plan fun, family events and date nights," said Wilson, the business-savvy voice of reason amongst type A journalists.
Edge used to eat at a local BBQ restaurant so he could read a popular business publication, Buzz on Biz. It folded after new owners weren't profitable. Edge and Wilson looked into reviving both, but negotiations failed with each.
The owners of the South's oldest newspaper, the Augusta Chronicle sold it in 2017 to a large newspaper publisher that eventually merged with Gannett. Virginia based Gannett is a publicly traded media holding company and one of the largest publication companies in America.
Since the merge, fewer Chronicle reporters are on staff and some took a voluntary buy-out in November 2020.
Chronicle readers pay $1.50 per weekday with the bulk of the stories generated from regional owned newspapers in Savannah and Athens, and from the USA Today network. The paper shuttered local editorials and cartoons and has no feature editor.
"We're living in a virtual news desert," said Debbie van Tuyll, the digital newspapers' Editor in Chief and partner, who's spent the last 30 years as journalism professor at nearby Augusta University. "The television stations do local news, but many don't have time to go in-depth like a text-based medium does."
Van Tuyll says she recently talked with a former student who works for one of those stations, and the student was lamenting the fact that television reporting doesn't allow for much depth. The student pointed out that a two-and-a-half-minute story was actually quite long for television, but even at that length, she could only hit highlights.
Van Tuyll coordinates The Augusta Press' paid intern\scholarship program at AU to select the best and brightest from her journalism department to help the professionals.
Before any news story is released van Tuyll checks it for accuracy, style and grammar. She is an old "j" school, journalist and believes in the principles of that time like being a government watchdog.
"Our job is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable," wrote van Tuyll in a recent post.
The closing line of the The Augusta Press' mission statement, which van Tuyll wrote, sums up her drive: "The mission of the Augusta Press is to tell the truth and raise hell."
Edge, Wilson, Hudson and Van Tuyll make up the four members of the editorial\company board, and vote on decisions like who to hire, contract with, and align with for promotional purposes.
Partnerships are in place with seasoned branding, social media, web, and marketing experts to drive traffic to www.theaugustapress.com. There, subscribers get their first 30 days free and then pay $5 per month, until they cancel. Advertisers have four different support levels to choose from for as little as $15 per day.
The Augusta Press worked out cooperative, content agreements with Augusta's talk radio station and the local crime reporting publication, The Jail Report, to tap into the existing publication's crime contacts and reporting.
"We hired a few seasoned journalists who formerly worked for the daily newspaper—some who worked together for a quarter century---and have a big community following," said Edge.
Other journalists work on a free-lance basis to cover local government, business, sports, outdoors, and the arts. Columnists provide separate, opinion pieces. Local video producers showcased the all-local talent assembled. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9M29DntRVs
"My motivation is to leave a legacy and jobs for future journalists," said van Tuyll.
Hudson has a more personal goal for the paper. "My goal is to pass on my ownership to my 16-year-old daughter, who loves writing," said Hudson.
"I believe the future success of this model will spur other former journalists to partner with civic-minded investors in underserved cities in the U.S," said Wilson.
To subscribe, visit www.theaugustapress.com Press Contact: Joe Edge Phone 706.627.2789, [email protected]
SOURCE The Augusta Press
Share this article