I have the feeling that our WestView readership tends to be older. I mean, I get calls from people who do not have computers, or even a nearby friend who has one, and we still get subscriptions by mail.
My tech savvy production people lecture me on revamping the online edition for “younger readers” and I say, “Yes,” but somebody must be in charge of making this happen. So far, I have not found that person. (Oh wait, is that you?)
My continuous complaint is that I can’t find anybody who will sell advertising. When I ask WestView family members to try, they smile and say, “Oh, I’m no good at selling ads.”
The cruelest rebuff you can get from a potential advertiser like a new restaurant, which has spent $250,000 to open its doors, is, “We only advertise online,” which usually means that they rely on online services which directs traffic for a fee.
Yes, well, let me suggest some reasons why businesses which depend on West Village customers should be visible in WestView.
First of all, it is dirt-cheap. For a restaurant check for four, you can have a quarter-page ad for a month in color. I mean, after 14 years, I should increase the ad prices but my idea of prices was forged in the Depression when the subway was a nickel; it is hard for me to charge more (encourage me to do so).
There are additional reasons to support the paper—to make sure that we can continue to be an independent voice for West Villagers and to allow me to slap a cop or State Senator on occasion for poor behavior.
Which brings me to buying a subscription.
I get a call every once and a while from somebody who says, “You did not leave my paper in the vestibule this month.” Yes, well, I am glad that people feel that it is their FREE paper but we still have to pay the printer.
You know, and this is going to sound screwy, I would like everybody who enjoys finding the paper in the lobby or on the front doorstep to sign up. Give us your name and address and, if you are online, your email address.
NEWS FLASH
Oh my! As I finished this article, I received an email from Roger Paradiso (producer of The Lost Village) stating that the Village Voice was discontinuing its print edition because it is too expensive. 85% of the cost of printing WestView is just the paper. C’mon guys, if you want to keep getting a paper paper you need to AT LEAST subscribe, if not advertise.
— George Capsis
