A thank you to those who believe local news matters

There are times when you are reminded just how much something means to a community. For us, that reminder has come recently as we’ve watched three Ozarks papers close their doors. The Branson Tri-Lakes News, the Stone County Republican and the Barry County Advertiser are gone, ending decades of coverage for those areas. The sudden closures July 16 were ordered by their parent company, Alabama-based Lancaster Management, Inc.

It’s easy to take a local newspaper for granted. Every week, we put another edition together, fill the pages with stories, photographs, announcements and advertisements, and deliver it to our readers. Then we start all over again. But the truth is, a newspaper doesn’t exist without the people who believe it is worth having.

That is why we want to take a moment to say thank you to the subscribers and advertisers of the Ozark County Times. Your support allows us to continue doing something that we believe is incredibly important: documenting the life of our community. We get to tell the stories of our schools, our churches, our businesses, our county government, our civic organizations and, most importantly, the people who make Ozark County what it is. We celebrate accomplishments, introduce new businesses, recognize our young people and preserve a record of the events that might otherwise be forgotten.

But telling the story of a county as large and active as Ozark County is not something we do alone. The Times is a small operation with a big mission, and our team works hard each week to cover the people, places and events that make this community special. With three full-time employees and the help of a few others who contribute their time and talents in varous ways, we are able to accomplish far more than we could on our own. Still, covering everything happening across Ozark County is truly a community effort, and time and time again, our neighbors step up to help.

It might be sending us photos, a coach taking the time to share scores and details after a busy night on the field, an event organizer providing a recap and pictures or a reader reaching out with a tip about something happening in their community. Our phones are often ringing, and our email inboxes stay filled with updates, announcements and story ideas from people who want to help make sure our community’s stories are told.

That partnership is one of the things that makes a community newspaper special. We may put the pages together each week, but those pages are filled with the moments, accomplishments and memories shared by the people of Ozark County. We truly couldn’t do it without you.

Because at its heart, a local newspaper is a reflection of the community behind it. The stories we tell are made possible by the people who share them, and the pages we publish become a record of the people, places and moments that define a community.

A newspaper is also more than the stories it publishes. It is a piece of the community itself. That has become especially clear as newspapers around us have disappeared. When a local newspaper closes, something is lost, not just a source of news, but a connection to the community and a record of its history.

We are incredibly grateful that the Ozark County Times is doing well. We’re able to pay the bills, make payroll and publish a paper every week. Some other newspapers are struggling to do those things, or have given up and closed their doors. Thanks to our subscribers and advertisers, we are on solid financial footing. 

But, publishing a local newspaper takes all of us. Our advertisers play an enormous role in that. When a local business advertises in the Times, they aren't simply buying an ad. They are supporting a local institution while also letting their neighbors know about the products and services they offer. And our subscribers are equally important. Every subscription tells us that someone values having local news delivered to their mailbox or screen.

So, if you are already a subscriber, thank you. Thank you for reading, for encouraging us and for supporting local journalism.

If you own a local business and advertise with us, thank you for investing in your community.

And if you've been meaning to subscribe but haven't gotten around to it, we hope you'll consider doing so. Your $40 subscription may seem like a small thing, but when hundreds of people make that decision, it makes a tremendous difference.

And while we are grateful for every person who follows the Times on Facebook and engages with what we share there, we also want to remind readers that social media is only a small window into what we do each week. The vast majority of the work our staff puts into the Times, roughly 90 percent, never makes it to Facebook. Those stories, photos, community announcements, local government updates, school news, features and other pieces are published in the newspaper and are part of the complete picture of what is happening in Ozark County. If you want to make sure you are seeing that full picture, and if you want to financially support the Times and help ensure we can keep doing this work, subscribing to the print edition or purchasing a copy of the newspaper is one of the best ways you can help. We truly appreciate every one of our Facebook followers, but likes and shares alone don’t keep the presses running. Our subscribers and advertisers do.

We don't know what the future holds for newspapers. The industry has certainly changed, and it will continue to change.

But we do know this: as long as the people of Ozark County believe their community deserves a newspaper, we will be here telling its story. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do that.

And thank you for believing that local news still matters.