Since 2005, nearly 2,900 newspapers have closed across the United States. The loss of local newspapers accelerated in 2023 to an average of 2.5 closures every week. There were more than 130 confirmed newspaper closings or mergers in 2023 alone.
On the other hand, there are still over 6,000 newspapers in the United States, including over 200 aimed at African-Americans. We are proud to be one of them – and to have served the community for over 39 years – and serving the Charleston community for over three years.
We will continue to print our newspapers as long as possible. The past four decades have been challenging, but we are committed to fulfilling our mission of keeping the community informed.
We appreciate the expressions of support and thanks for the work we do. People frequently ask us how they can help, and I usually reply, “Just keep us in your prayers.”
But the more I think about it, there are other ways you can help. In order to survive, we need to diversify our revenue. Gone are the days when newspapers could rely only on print advertising to fund journalism. Newspapers across America are racing to develop new revenue sources, and so are we.
So how can you help? Most newspapers have taken a page from public television stations and launched annual fundraising campaigns. We are also launching a fundraising campaign for our 39th anniversary.
Our modest goal is to raise $39,000 in donations every quarter to help fund our operations and train the next generation of community journalists. Your donation will help us keep the doors open. Visit www.carolinapanorama.com/contribute/ or www.lowcountrypanorama.com/site/forms/online_services/ donations/ to make your donation today. You can also donate in person or mail a check to P.O. Box 11205, Columbia, SC 29211- 1205. Contributors who donate over $100 will receive a Carolina Panorama or Lowcountry Panorama T-Shirt.
If you are hosting an event, in addition to sending us an announcement, please list your event and sell tickets through our Carolina Box Office platform (www.CarolinaBoxOffice.com). It has far more features and benefits than other ticketing portals, and it includes event promotion in our newspapers and networks.
If you, or anyone you know, need a new website, let us know. We can build a website for your company without any upfront costs. You don’t have to pay until you approve of it.
In addition, we are launching a website incentive plan. If you refer a client who purchases a website from us, we will pay you $100. Refer ten paying clients, we will give you an additional $500 bonus. Call us at (803) 256-4015 to get started as an affiliate.
If you need a 15- or 30-second commercial or promotional video, we can help as well. Give us a call for more information.
For small business owners, we are offering a special for business card size ads. To celebrate our 39th year, you can purchase a business card size ad for $390 for 13 weeks. That is a savings of nearly 50 percent.
Over the past four decades, we have overcome many obstacles to serve our community. With your help, we will continue to serve you for the next four decades.
