This is a milestone year for the Whidbey News-Times.
During 2015, we are celebrating 125 years. Think about that number. This is a business that has continuously served your community uninterrupted for well over a century.
This includes one edition in our archives in which black markers were used in a pinch by former owners Wallie Funk and John Webber to write headlines, and another in the 1990s produced only because staff was sent down an ice-covered highway to Langley, the only place on the island with power following a massive storm.
This newspaper is older than the City of Oak Harbor, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary of incorporation this year.
Self-promotion is not a strong suit for community newspapers. We are great at tooting others’ horns but very rarely our own.
That’s why, in today’s News-Times, we are launching our new campaign, “We Are Whidbey,” with a full page on page 24. Not only is this ad a part of our celebration of the News-Times milestone, we will be sharing the story of this newspaper and its amazing staff throughout this anniversary year.
In addition to 125 years, here are some other numbers to consider:
21 — That’s the number of people who work at the News-Times, receiving benefits, vacation and sick leave. These are people who shop in our community, attend their children’s and grandchildren’s athletic events, volunteer, vote. … These are your friends, neighbors and relatives who believe in the role of a community newspaper. These are people with ink in their blood.
386 — That’s the total number of years members of this staff have worked in newspapers, most of those years at the News-Times. That’s experience that’s hard to replicate. Within those years are thousands of hours interviewing sources, writing and editing copy, taking photos, working with advertisers, building ads, delivering missed newspapers, stuffing envelopes, taking telephone calls, building pages … the list goes on.
21 — That’s the number of carriers who deliver your newspaper to your homes, often in the pitch black of the wee morning hours, rain, snow or hail. Whidbey Island is expansive, and many people live down long, unpaved roads. It’s not a glamorous job. It is on the front lines, though, and they are an invaluable part of this team.
336 — The number of twice-weekly, weekly and monthly publications we print each year. Those publications are the Whidbey News-Times, South Whidbey Record, The Whidbey Examiner, Crosswind, Whidbey Xtra and Homes Land Islander.
45 — The number of special interest publications that we produce each year, including the Islander, the premier visitors guide to Whidbey, Best of Whidbey, a holiday gift guide, sports programs, songbook, The Bridge, Who’s Who and A Taste of Whidbey menu guides.
849,379 — That’s the number of page views we received during March on Whidbey News Group’s four websites, whidbeynewstimes.com, southwhidbeyrecord.com, whidbeyexaminer.com and whidbeycrosswind.com That’s a huge number of eyes on our websites. As proof that community values the role of their local newspaper, our web subscriptions have grown by 10 percent each quarter since we introduced the metered wall last year.
3 — That’s the number of offices Whidbey News Group has on Whidbey Island. One in Oak Harbor, located across from Big 5, the main office in Coupeville, and the other in Freeland. Each office is staffed and open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
2 — The number of agencies that audit our numbers. The News-Times and Record are audited by Certified Audit of Circulations, or CAC, and The Examiner, which is mailed, must submit a statement of ownership outlining circulation once a year to the U.S. Postal Service.
Your local newspaper, the News-Times, isn’t about the institution, the walls around it or the paper it’s printed on. It’s about the people who work here, who pour their hearts into putting out publications we can all be proud of.
It’s about those who advertise in our pages, it’s about celebrating a free press and it’s about all of you who read it faithfully.
That’s why our message this coming year is “We Are Whidbey. We Are You.”
It doesn’t get more local than that.
Keven R. Graves is executive editor and publisher of the Whidbey News-Times. He was born and raised in Anacortes and has worked in newspapers for 29 years — 16 of those years with the Whidbey News Group.
