Thanks for reading, but we’re only getting started

NOW we’re three editions in to the Ballarat Times News Group and the Golden Plains Times, I’m keen to take a moment for some thank-yous and a bit of a peek behind the curtain.

First off, a huge thanks for the overwhelming positive response from our readers and advertisers.

It proves the case that if you make something that is strong and has substance, people will enjoy it and support it.

Best of all, it’s free and it’s positive community content. We’re in the market for good news stories. The people and groups doing great things for our community.

It is the kind of newspaper that works and the community engages with. We know this as we have been servicing the Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula for over 12 years, and we are an important vehicle for information flow to the communities we serve.

So, if you know of something that fits that bill going on in Ballarat and surrounds, let us know about it. My contact details are on page 4 of this edition and I’d love to hear from you.

We’re committed to bringing you more positive stories and we will providing them to a growing community of readers that want them.

How are we going to do that? Well, we’ve expanded our comment, letter, opinion and editorial content for starters. Got something to say or seen something that’s great in our community? Send us a letter.

We are focused on covering “what’s good about living in this community… your community, our community”. You can get the negative news in lots of other places!

We’re also hiring another full-time journalist – check the ad on page 19 – and that’ll mean we can publish more original and positive news content.

Essentially, it’s a numbers game, more people writing more articles and taking more photos means extra pages in the paper and a greater ability to reflect this community.

It’s our privilege to provide the information you need to make decisions about our community and how we live within it. It’s a privilege we take seriously and that we are constantly striving to improve.

We thank those who are reading us today and who have trusted us with their businesses, and we welcome the region to the pages of the Ballarat Times News Group every week free on a Thursday. Log onto our website and subscribe for free weekly content or follow us on our new Facebook page facebook.com.au/ballarattimesnewsgroup.