It’s a difficult time for the newspaper industry.
Newsprint shortages and delivery delays. Rising prices for paper, ink and other necessities. Surging gasoline prices. The highest inflation rate in decades. Big media not doing their jobs and throwing opinion in with facts. The list goes on and on.
Again, it’s a difficult time for the newspaper industry.
Now more than ever in my nearly 40-year career in this business, community newspapers need local partnerships as well as the support of the people they serve. We need you – just like you need us.
Throughout my career, I’ve been a community journalist. That’s by choice because I truly believe that’s where the fun and excitement is in this business. And I remain privileged to be here to serve you through the written word.
I’m a small town guy – always have been – who enjoys getting down in the dirt to help bring you the facts you need to know, whether that’s city or county news, school district developments, busi ness updates, sports reports, police reports, crime news, organization and nonprofit successes and as many other things we can get to all wrapped up in the news of the day. I also enjoy giving you this column every week, whether I’m trying to be funny, telling you another tale about myself, writing about local happenings or doing what I’m doing today.
It’s a tough gig a lot of the time, and the aforementioned issues are making it even tougher these days.
But here we are – despite everything affecting us – giving you a high-quality, ultra-local product twice a week, every week throughout every year. That adds up to 104 issues locally produced and filled with local news annually.
We do it better than anybody around here – period. And we’re proud of that. We remain dedicated to you and to the task at hand.
We officially announced on Tuesday that because of the newsprint shortages and paper delivery delays, we have to tighten your Boerne Star a little for a while. Simply put, that means some papers may be a couple of pages smaller than usual. That’s really not by choice, and we believe it should be temporary. We’re constantly monitoring the situation.
But don’t fret. We’re still going to cover the same things with due diligence and report the same news and provide the same information as best we can. Some of it may just take a little longer to appear and a few things temporarily may be published online only.
We also announced that because of all the inflation affecting us, in order to make ends meet we have to raise our subscription rates by a small amount to offset our increasing costs of operation. But, the increase is only a few pennies per issue – less than 5 cents – or $5 or $4 a year, depending on if you’re a regular subscriber or a senior citizen.
Compared to other price hikes we’re all experiencing, ours is miniscule. We thought long and hard about it and raised our rates as little as possible.
But, we’re still a huge bargain for what we provide and deliver. We hope you agree and understand.
And we remain committed to our jobs – whether that’s news and sports, advertising, circulation, paying our bills, receiving and processing your payments and providing polite and professional customer service.
We don’t expect pats on the back for simply doing our jobs. But, we do appreciate the partnerships and support.
Again, we’re the complete package … serving Boerne, Fair Oaks Ranch and Kendall County. And, as earlier stated, we remain a bargain. Our advertising rates are inexpensive while reaching – by far – the largest local audience. Our subscription rates are inexpensive while reaching – by far – the largest local audience as well.
And our staff, although small, is a hard-working bunch that cares and goes the extra mile in doing the best we can for you.
We’re here, and we will remain here – come what may. We’ve survived and thrived through the thick and thin since 1906.
Why? How?
Because of you.
We strongly support our community, and we’re smack-dab in the middle of it. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
And all our community partnerships are an honor and a privilege to have – as well as critically important. And, yes, that means you!
We’re The Boerne Star, local yesterday, today and tomorrow. And we’re your one true and real community newspaper and information source.
And all we ask is that you please support us in any and every way you can, whether that’s through a subscription, getting your word out through advertising or any way else.
I’ll say it again. We need you – and you … need … us!
And please keep reading – and, as always, thank you for doing so.
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