Cedar Key News: Report to the Members and Prospective Members Once each year we report to the membership of Cedar Key News and to our readers that we hope will join our non-profit news source. Cedar Key News is truly of, by and for the people of our community. The "of the people" includes school news, fishing news, business news and organization news and announcements. The "by the people" is because we have many articles on fishing, cuisine and school events written by volunteer journalists. "For the people" is the most important aspect of our publication. We strive to provide factual information on business, police and government events as an alternative to the grapevine which provides spin and error along its way. Each year we sponsor candidate forums prior to local elections. We hope to inform voters and stimulate discussion. Letters-to-the Editor is a regular feature of both our online and print editions. Also, as an advertising medium we promote local businesses. Furthermore, because Cedar Key News is a non-profit organization, we donate surplus revenue to various local charities. Our readers, online and of print, far outnumber the population of Cedar Key. Electronic tallies of visits to our website average about one thousand each day. Seasonal visitors to Cedar Key and past residents are regular readers according to our email. Contest entrants have documented web site visitation from many states and Canadian provinces. A recent contest to pick the date of completion of construction of the Big Dock drew entrants from as far away as Ohio (one of the winners.) Assuming that some print copies are read by two people, our print readership is more than two thousand each month. Two conclusions may be drawn from the above facts and the size of our membership list: 1. Advertisers in Cedar Key News reach a wide readership. 2. Like public radio and public T-V, support of this non-profit newspaper comes from a small portion of the readers. We thank our advertisers for their patronage over the past seven years of our existence. We appeal to our readers to show support of Cedar Key News by filling out the membership application form below this report. Membership is an important source of income and an indication of appreciation of our service. Furthermore, please plan to attend the annual meeting of Cedar Key News on March 28, at which time we will elect the 2009 Board of Directors and discuss policy issues. (Look for the time and place of the annual meeting, online and in the March print issues of our newspaper.) ............................................................................................................ Membership Application Individual ($15 per year)____ Household ($25)_____ Sponsor ($50)____ Donor ($100)____ Name(s)___________________________________________ Address __________________________________________ City ______________ State ___________ Zip ________ Please make out your check to Cedar Key News, Inc. Note that we are a non-profit organization, but have not received federal tax-exempt status. Mail to: Cedar Key News, P.O. Box 334, Cedar Key, FL 32625 |