Daily Circulation: 5,033
Sunday Circulation: 5,557


List the major steps you have taken in the last four years to increase readership. Please organize your response under four headings: content, brand, service, culture.

Content
Added a locally written food column

Added a NASCAR page

Added a front page "take note" column

Expanded Outdoors Page columnists

Enhanced our NIE program.

Service
Trained newsroom employees on basic advertising and circulation issues so when calls come in during the times those departments are not staffed customers can get enough assistance so they feel like someone cares.

Culture
Less wire copy, more local copy; Also more visible in community celebrations and events.



What is the most innovative, successful or noteworthy thing you have done on readership that you think other papers might learn from or want to emulate?
One of the best things we have done is very simple. We moved the newsroom from the front office area, where there was often noise from customers and business and advertising offices, to a quieter, more secluded area of the office. This has created an atmosphere which is more conducive to concentration and has reduced many of the content errors that we battled for many years. We also have a wider base of involvement in community and the area.



What is the most persuasive indication you have that your readership efforts are producing results?
The five-year circulation downturn has been stopped. Circulation is now slowly increasing.



What is the most important lesson you have learned as you have worked on readership in the last few years?
As we continue to develop content that appeals to readers, we have learned that they enjoy local columns and first-person stories. We hope to add more of those.

Getting Traction on Readership

Survey Responses by Topic & Newspaper