Ten years.
Three thousand six hundred and fifty some odd days.
That’s how long this little paper has been delivering news and information to the people of Chatham-Kent.
We started back in 2013 with a gaggle of ex-corporate media staffers who were tired of seeing that corporation suck the life out of its local media outlet.
Yes, we were tired of watching profits (they did exist for them at one time) head down Highway 401, to Toronto, into Quebec and over the border to fuel some hedge fund.
Instead, we used local people to produce a local product, and a damned fine one, we think.
Readers embraced us immediately, and are still clamouring for The Voice. We are printing more editions today than ever before.
If readers don’t get their paper at the time they are accustomed to, we hear about it. Well, we also hear about complaints of people not getting their “flyers,” and that they can’t even find a number to call, let alone get a real person on the other end.
Yes, we are the anti-corporate media outlet. We believe in local, local, local. That’s the key.
We cover local events, feature good news about Chatham-Kent people doing big things, and still cover the ups and downs of hard news in Chatham-Kent.
Some folks say we’re left leaning; others say we’re right leaning. That’s the way we like it; we have no favourite political stripes, but rather demand accountability.
We must thank our many dedicated advertisers over the years, some who have been with us since day one, and many who share the same local, local, local mindset we have.
Why is local so important? From our standpoint, Chatham-Kent news and information is what our readers want from their local newspaper. They also want to see deals from local stores and businesses that they can support, which in turns powers up the Chatham-Kent economy.
This municipality is truly a gem in Ontario. When we started, too few people outside of C-K knew about just how amazing this place is. Now, some may say it is no secret, as people are continuing to leave larger urban centres to embrace what C-K has to offer.
