Readers of The Lincoln County News will notice a few changes to the newspaper this week, including Arts & Eats pages, a new column called “Characters of the County,” and a volunteer bulletin board.
The new initiatives result from a newspaper improvement project undertaken earlier this fall. The project coincided with the 100th year of family ownership of the paper.
“We had a lot of things we wanted to do this year that were put on hold due to the ongoing pandemic,” said John Roberts, associate publisher of The Lincoln County News. “As we came into the final quarter of the year, we decided to pursue this project to end the year on a high note and start 2021 strong.”
The project focused on four core areas of the newspaper: content, advertising, layout and design, and community services. Small focus groups consisting of community members, business owners, and local students provided feedback regarding the newspaper’s strengths and weaknesses in each category, as well as general ideas for improvement.
After the sessions, participants received a list of the ideas discussed and rated each idea based on the level of priority it should be given. LCN staff then met to decide which items to implement before the end of 2020.
“This is by no means the end of the project,” Roberts said. “We will continue to discuss the great ideas brought up as we head into next year.”
A dedicated space for arts, entertainment, and dining has been in the works for a while, but the positive response from participants led to the project being fast-tracked. The pages, titled Arts & Eats, will replace the Dining & Entertainment, Dining Out, and Arts & Entertainment pages.
A weekly column called “Characters of the County” will spotlight some of the people who call Lincoln County home.
Finally, a volunteer bulletin board listing ways individuals can contribute to their community will appear on the church page. Organizations that wish to contribute a listing should email info@lcnme.com. There is both a free option and a paid option, depending on how specific an organization wishes to make their listing.
“We hope these changes are well received by our faithful readers and the community,” Roberts said. “As always, we welcome feedback!”
To provide feedback on the changes or any other aspect of the newspaper, email feedback@lcnme.com or call 563-3171.
