You spoke, we listened...

The Foster County Independent now has a roadmap to become a national model for helping save local news.

With survey and focus group data analyzed, this local newspaper has already hit the pavement running to innovate and offer more to readers and advertisers.

According to Teri Finneman, the national researcher who conducted the focus groups and reviewed the survey data, readers were loud and clear – they love local news, and they want a strong local newspaper in Foster County.

Therefore, the newspaper publisher and staff need to ensure the newspaper will be there in the future by making some significant changes now.

This includes price changes, partnerships for new community events, increased school coverage, the future addition of a food page, more timely publication of news and a new digital marketing manager to better connect news and local business messaging with readers.

Pricing changes

It all begins with this: we need to "right size" the cost of the newspaper to ensure its financial stability. Right now it costs 94 cents per week to subscribe to the newspaper, and that is simply not sustainable in 2024.

"In 1932 a newspaper in North Dakota was selling for 5 cents. In the course of over 90 years, the price of the newspaper has gone up one penny per year," Finneman said. "No business on earth can survive with that business model."

"My eyes have been opened," Independent Publisher Amy Wobbema said. "Faced with rising costs, nearly every other business simply increases its prices whenever necessary to reflect its economic reality without batting an eye. Now it's time for this local newspaper to do the same, and adding a few bucks here and there like we've done in the past isn't going to cut it."

Effective Sept. 1, the price of an annual subscription to the Foster County Independent will increase to $78 per year, or $1.50 per week, for a North Dakota resident.

"For $1.50 per week, you are getting a watchdog to keep tabs on what is happening with your local government. You are getting a permanent historical record for the community, a central hub of factual information, for less than half the cost of one school lunch," Wobbema said.

Readers know the value. Independent reporters and photographers attend nearly all county, city and school board meetings. We spend hours in a room with local leaders when no one else sees fit to attend, and we package those meetings into factual articles that a person can read in a few minutes to get a better understanding of what our leadership is doing and how tax dollars are spent.

The newspaper documents youth achievements in academics and athletics, with staff attending dozens of games and events, reports news from across the area and state, and prints special features and historical information taken straight from the Independent archives.

"When you can pay $10 a month for Disney+, $15 for Netflix and $15 for Amazon Prime, it's within your budget to pay $6.50 per month to support a local business that informs the public and holds local government accountable," Wobbema said.

With the greater financial support, the Independent is dedicated to not only maintaining the quality content you've come to expect from us, but also enhancing our coverage and delivering news in a more timely manner.

Watch for some new features to come, both in print and online. For example, the Independent is working with the staff and students at Carrington Public School to bring readers more student art and writing, and partnering with local businesses to keep you abreast of changes in the economic landscape.

We also will be launching a new food section in the paper in the weeks to come.

One of the most significant changes will be the addition of a new e-newsletter. Be sure to sign up for the Mid-Week Beat, our new e-newsletter, and every Wednesday you'll receive the top news of the week delivered right to your inbox. From there, you can read the most important and time sensitive local news, days before it appears in print.

You'll also find relevant articles that didn't make the print edition due to space limitations, as well as an interactive list of upcoming community, school and sporting events. To sign up, click here.

New digital advertising

"From past experimentation with our New Rockford newspaper, we have learned that in order to reach peak effectiveness, a modern marketing campaign needs to include a variety of media," Wobbema said. "That's why the Independent developed a website and social media presence nearly three years ago, within months after I became publisher."

New digital efforts at the Independent are being led by the newest member of our team, who was hired after advertisers were adamant that the newspaper needed to have a staff member visit local businesses and work with them in person on promotional strategies.

Introducing Emily Giffey, pronounced Giff-EYE, a native of Ryder. This North Dakota girl pursued a bachelor's degree in marketing from NDSU, and her studies focused on digital media. She most recently worked as a digital marketing specialist for a group of farm equipment dealerships in central and western North Dakota.

Giffey has already spent some time out in the community and plans to meet as many business leaders as possible in the coming months. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge in digital media and marketing strategies, and knows how to measure the effectiveness of campaigns and their return on investment.

To schedule an appointment with Giffey and learn more about the new advertising opportunities available, email [email protected] or call her at (701) 897-0272.

Events

The survey results found 85% of respondents were interested in the newspaper hosting community events. The focus groups gave insight into what those could be, ranging from food events to speakers. Work has already started on event planning, with more updates to come soon.

Looking forward

The actions the Independent is taking now are being done to ensure that the Foster County Independent continues to operate right here in Carrington, in an office staffed with people who care about this community and who are accessible to readers.

Finneman, the researcher assisting the Independent with its changes, said Carrington has an opportunity to become a state and national leader for local news in the months ahead.

"What happens here will generate national attention if the community rallies around the paper and supports its innovation," Finneman said.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is more to come, and in order to be a part of it, all you have to do is pay $1.50 a week, sign up for the new e-newsletter, join us at our future events and keep reading.

This will help ensure we continue to be the official newspaper of Foster County for years to come.

This is the beginning of a renaissance for community newspapers across the country, right here in Carrington. We will continue innovating and evolving in the months to come, and the support of the community is critically important.