Small Town Square update, finally!

Happy National Newspaper Week!

That might be 'news' to you, as it was to me. It's just some serendipitous timing that I am finally able to get some updates about the paper out there and reflect on the importance of a free press in Canada.

First off, I really appreciate the feedback I received from the survey. Basically, everyone said yes to wanting a printed newspaper for Bassano and area (all but one said yes, and that was a maybe). I've been in discussion with a printer and with the cost of that, it all seems viable.

So it's going to happen! The question now is when.

Life can sometimes be difficult and get in the way of one's best intentions. As most of you know, my mother's health became a priority which has postponed a lot of this paper-making business. I'm so happy that she is doing exceptionally well and I can turn my attention back to this. The whole moving from Lethbridge to Bassano was another pretty important step, too!

So here's my tentative roadmap. I would like to have a newspaper out on November 1st. I believe Fridays will be a good delivery day with Wednesday afternoon being "print in Lethbridge" day and Thursday "figuring out how to get 500 copies from Lethbridge to Bassano" day.

 This is the plan on how I'm going to start composing the papers, hopefully finding a balance on costs with a (hopefully) growing number of subscriptions.

Feedback from the survey showed a subscriber-funded model (rather than advertising-funded) was thought of favourably. That's great! I was really hoping for that. I'll be pricing the paper the same each issue, meaning it won't go up when it's 12 pages or with colour. I have an idea of a cost that seems to cover most of the cost concerns and I don't expect any large price increases except in any cases which are out of my control (paper costs as an example). There will be advertising in the paper, mind, just never to the point where it reaches >50% of a paper's content.

The other thing to consider is that there will be a difference in price depending on if it's going to a local Post Office box or delivery out of town. I'll create another post with all of the costs laid out simply, so you know what I'll charge when you decide to subscribe.

So October will be introducing myself to various people and places and focussing on gaining subscriptions. I know some will support it because a printed paper fulfills an important role in a small town, while others will have to see the finished product to deem it worthy of support. I'm excited to see what I will create, knowing full well I best not let you down. The first few issues will most likely be full of kinks, errors and experiments I will abandon. I'll be testing out a few design aesthetics and eventually land on one I like. I'll gain confidence through repetition and feedback. I guess that's all to say I hope you enjoy this journey as I take Small Town Square from square one to wherever it is that we end up together!

Thank you,

Mike Maguire