BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
As this year comes to a close and a new one beckons, I just want to take a moment to express my gratitude to our small staff, our advertisers and our readers.
For most of my 38 years in this business of reporting, I always wanted to one day have a LOCAL media publication that focused on community news. Back in 2015, out of complete frustration with today’s media mentality, I created a Facebook page called the Elmore/Autauga News. I had resigned that day from the paper where I worked at the time. I had no plan, other than to travel and sleep late.
But I wanted an outlet for accurate, unbiased, community news for my friends that followed me. I figured I may see 1,000 or so likes on Facebook, and it would at least keep my hand in it.
Woman plans, God laughs.
The EAN reached the first 1,000 likes in 24 hours. Today, seven years later, I want to thank the 44,044 followers just on the Facebook page. Our website reaches around 300,000 different computer devices a month.
We have grown quite a bit, and today our primary platform is our website at www.elmoreautauganews.com
Several years into this journey, the page was growing, but did not include advertising. Enter the answer to prayer in the form of my now full partner Carla Wilson.
We had met while working at a newspaper a few years before. But we decided to join forces. She oversees the advertising and I am the old news hound. However, Carla has also donned a reporter’s cap or photographer’s cap when needed. That is what TEAM means.
Heather Knight assists with advertising, and many times over the years has jumped in to do live reporting. She wears many hats as well.
This has been a tough year, I cannot lie. At the moment, I am the only full-time writer. Thank goodness for freelancer Amanda Pevey who has hung in there this year.
Over the years we have had some amazing freelance writers that kept the stories coming. So, for anyone who has ever played a role in the continuation of the EAN, I thank you.
This year our staff had some major health issues. At the moment, we are all healthy, so that is a good thing. But there were a lot of days that I would look at Carla and say, “Do we really want to continue with this?”
She would give me the look and say, “If you leave, I am leaving. We are in this together now.”
In the graphic are today’s numbers for our reach on just on Facebook in the past seven days. Staggering is one word that comes to mind.
Humbling is another.
Our four-member team comes together even in the toughest of times. Our one goal is to accurately tell the local news stories. We aren’t here to report on the news of the world, or even the country. Our focus is Autauga and Elmore counties. We often share other media stories as long as they do not require a subscription and give them total credit. A good story is a good story, and I don’t care who writes it.
If you have a business that wants to target readers in our area, give Carla a call. If you have a news story idea or an upcoming event of public interest, I am your girl.
The best compliments I have received lately are, “The EAN is the first thing I look at in the mornings and the last thing I look at in the evenings. I trust you and the reporting by the EAN.”
That means more to us than you know.
I am so very pleased to tell you that a new staff member will be joining us full-time Jan. 2! Carmen Rodgers hails from Elmore County and will be on board to help us with public meeting coverage and general features predominantly in Autauga County.
Carla and I made an agreement that we would not take a salary, and instead makes sure our employees and freelancers are paid, our business bills are paid, etc. So, sometimes keeping the EAN running requires us to dig a little deep into our personal savings. But we are both committed, and believe this area NEEDS local, accurate, unbiased news.
I thank the advertisers that do business with us. I welcome other businesses to talk to Carla about a budget and a plan for the coming year.
We don’t boost articles to pay for more likes, etc. What you see in the graphic is ALL NATURAL.
So, here is to the coming year and the adventures it will bring. We appreciate all of you and thank you for the growing number of submissions and news articles and advertisers. Keep them coming.
If you own a local business and you want to draw customers from Autauga or Elmore counties, please consider us as you are making up your budget for the coming year.
The bad news comes uninvited. Sometimes it is much more difficult to find the good news. But we want to be a resource for you in good times or bad. So please send me your good news, your upcoming events, etc.
We love what we do, we love our communities, and we truly stand by our motto “Local News Matters.”
Happy New Year to all! Please be safe. I will be working this NYE, and I am praying there is nothing to report but Good News tomorrow morning.
Sarah Stephens is the owner of the Elmore/Autauga News and can be reached at editorsarah@yahoo.com.
