The Iola Register has some great news to share.
Our newsroom is one of 205 small, local news outlets — including one in every U.S. state — that is receiving a share of $20 million to close persistent coverage gaps, thanks to funding from Press Forward, the nationwide movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Over the course of two years, the Register will receive a total of $100,000.
The award emphasizes the importance of the work we do. We provide coverage of local government, civic affairs, our local schools and community college, and community members that no one else can replicate. We work to provide the stories people need to make decisions about their daily lives. We seek to help readers understand and feel connected to where they live. It’s about working together so that Iola and Allen County are all the stronger.
Over 900 proposals from across the country were received. To be one of the 205 awardees, and one of only three in Kansas, affirms and energizes us. It keeps us focused on our mission and the road ahead.
THE REGISTER must be dynamic. We constantly seek to improve and innovate, looking for new ways to reach new audiences. Our daily text message service, The Register Texts, is closing in on 500 subscribers; we started the service two years ago. Our Weekly Roundup email newsletter goes out to over 1,800 subscribers; our daily emails have an audience of around 1,400. Our social media accounts have large and active followings.
On the business side, we continue much of our commercial printing and work to develop our website development and digital marketing services.
The Register’s magazines remain popular and are a key area of growth. We now produce 13 magazines a year, all focused on different aspects of our community. We are exploring mailing those magazines to digital subscribers in 2025.
The Register’s website reaches over 25,000 users each month. While a majority are in Allen County, a significant part of our digital audience comes from across the country. Just this week, an individual who lives in Florida, in town for Farm-City Days, came to the office. He reads us every morning. “Keep up the good work,” he said.
OUR PRINT edition, published Tuesday through Saturday, remains our cornerstone. Besides the Pittsburg Morning Sun, we are now the only daily newspaper in southeast Kansas. We feel a certain sense of responsibility to keep reaching readers as often as we can.
Earlier this month, we changed printing operations to NPG Printing of St. Joseph, Mo. We didn’t change because it was cheaper — I only wish. We changed printers to provide a higher-quality newspaper to our subscribers. We can’t continue asking for your support without knowing we’re putting out the best product we can.
In our mind, investing in a better print product is worth it. Yes, it means careful accounting, and all the more reason to be grateful for the support of Press Forward. But we believe the best way to keep subscribers is to treat them as best you can.
STEPPING BACK, we’re clear-eyed about the challenges small, locally owned newspapers face. This is a hard business to be in, and it will get harder. Certainly, we don’t wish it, but we could fail. We need only look around the region to see plenty of warning signs. The Wichita Beacon, a non-profit digital news outlet with a multi-million dollar donor base, announced this week it’s closing its newsroom, and the Wichita Eagle now prints just three days a week. The Chanute and Parsons papers now publish twice a week. The Gardner News closed this summer.
But we remain in awe of incredible community support. Last year, dozens of readers donated to help support the Register. And many, many subscribers know a community newspaper depends on their support. We say this often, but it’s true: we can’t do our work without you.
ELECTION YEARS are tough on newspapers. But we at the Register feel that this year, at least so far, has been a better one than the last. We’re not in this to get rich. We’re here because we love and believe in what we do. More than ever, we need your help. We need you to read us, and we need to convince our audience that local news is worth paying for. It’s an investment in one’s community.
We are grateful for the support of Press Forward and the opportunity to learn from newsrooms across the country. We are excited for what this means for the Register, and for you, our readers.
