Times Pilot readership grows

You may have noticed in the Sept. 19 issue Opinion section of the Times Pilot our annual report of newspaper circulation and ownership. It’s required of all publications every year by the U.S. Postal Service.

This year’s report shows that the Times Pilot circulation is increasing, bucking a trend of declining readership among newspapers over the last decade. Our total paid circulation, print and online, of 4,195 as of mid-September marks a 28.4% increase over the past year.

Most newspapers have suffered decreases during the same period. Several newspapers in our area have ceased publication over the past year, including our neighbors at the Schaller Herald and Aurelia Star, as well as several other small weeklies north of us in O’Brien and Clay counties.

Other neighboring newspapers are treading on thin ice. Last week the Buena Vista County Journal printed a blank front page, with this ominous question printed in small letters in the middle: “What would you do without us?” Journal editor Erin Sommers noted in a column that a drop in advertising is creating dire conditions for the Journal and its sister publications, the Pocahontas Record-Democrat and Laurens Sun. She warns that if revenues don’t increase, “Pocahontas County will lose three newspapers that cover it.” That would be devastating for the citizens of Pocahontas County.

The Times Pilot has survived because we concentrate on local news and have invested in hiring good reporters to bring it to you. Sports editor Jamie Knapp hasn’t missed a home football game in Storm Lake in 33 years. There probably isn’t another sports reporter in Iowa who can match that record.

And of course, we have the distinction of being awarded the Pulitzer Prize, journalism’s highest honor, for Art Cullen’s editorials.

While circulation is up 4.5% to 2,356 subscribers in our print edition, the big increase has come online, where readership in the past year jumped 82.5% to 1,839 subscribers.

This growth isn’t by accident. As much as we love the print edition, with the ability to display large colorful photos in easy-to-read layouts, we realize the information trend is toward that little gadget in our pockets, the ubiquitous cellphone. The Times Pilot will always have a print edition, a cornerstone of information in Buena Vista County since 1870, but the digital revolution is pulling us kicking and screaming into the future. That’s where the eyes are.

Our website, ww.stormlake.com, is the most viewed news site in the region with upwards of 60,000 visits per month by readers, and during each visit the average reader clicks on five stories. It enables us to present breaking news on a daily basis, followed by the comprehensive presentation of our Friday newspaper. Highest readership online is for breaking news, obituaries and editorials, and peak on Thursdays and Fridays, when the paper comes out.

Higher circulation revenue has helped offset the loss of advertising, which is plaguing all newspapers from The New York Times to The Storm Lake Times Pilot. For decades advertising was the lifeblood of newspapers, keeping subscription rates artificially low. Now Google and Facebook are sweeping up all the ad money. The loss in advertising revenue is affecting TV and radio as well. People are watching YouTube videos and Netflix and not local TV stations. Same goes with radio. Young people are listening to Spotify and TikTok while old timers like me tune in to Sirius XM and podcasts in the car.

We figured we had to adapt or go the way of the dinosaur. It’s working for the big newspapers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and it’s working for us.

We still sell ads to businesses that want to stay in business. With our combination of the Times Pilot and Advertising Guide, delivered by the Postal Service, we guarantee your message will enter every home in the Storm Lake and Cherokee trade territory. No other media outlet can make that claim.

Loss of your local newspaper is loss of your local news, the lifeblood of a community. Facebook, X, Instagram and whatever-else don’t cover your local councils, school boards, athletic events, churches and anniversaries. What you read on social media are frequently lies perpetrated by mischievous governments and bad actors to lead you astray. With the advent of artificial intelligence, you can’t even believe your eyes now when you see our own government leaders posting manipulated videos on their official accounts.

There are no phony photos in the Times Pilot.

Whether you read us in print, on your computer or your phone, we appreciate your support of the Times Pilot as we continue a 155-year tradition of publishing the news of our hometown.