THIS ARTICLE IS COMMENTARY AND PUBLISHED IN OUR EDITORIAL SECTION.
By Randy Arrington, publisher
When the first conversations took place about creating an online news source for the Page Valley, one of the key motivations was simply providing a needed service for the community. As traditional media began to show signs of changing times, an opportunity presented itself to “get in on the ground level” and form the foundation for the next generation of local news coverage.
We thought the demand would be there, but we weren’t really sure how many folks would actually click on the site. Well… 690,209 users and nearly 3 million pageviews later, PVN is still reaching new heights and continues to grow its audience.
In the month of July, PageValleyNews.com set a new monthly record with 113,034 pageviews. PVN had previously surpassed 90,000 pageviews during three different months since first launching on Feb. 3, 2020 — but we had never surpassed 100,000 in a 30-day period.
According to GoogleAnalytics, PVN had 39,964 users in July that logged on for 66,364 sessions. While the sessions are a new monthly record as well, the number of users only comes in second to October 2021, when we saw 40,288 users. That month one of our “Today in History” segments went viral as it told the story of a Page County man who had accidentally come into possession of the crown of Miss Virginia and it hung for a while on the mounted head of a 10-point buck in his Shenandoah home.
While that spike in traffic was driven by a comical and unique story, more often it is the worst of times that drives readers to our pages to find the details and explanations surrounding a terrible tragedy has occurred close to home. This July was no different.
Page Valley News provided current updates on the manhunt in Jollett Hollow as it unfolded over two weeks. Other regional media popped in at times, but the most detailed, timely and consistent coverage came from this news site.
We make note of this instance and our recent achievements, not in a boastful way (the public’s attention can be a fickle thing); but rather to highlight the need for the service we provide. There’s a reason why people clicked on our site — there’s a hunger for knowing what’s going on around us. That’s what drives a lot of Facebook’s traffic as well, but let’s hope that doesn’t become the only source of local news in our community.
We acknowledge that other media outlets covered the search and capture of Timothy Comer, arguably the biggest story of 2023. But what happens when it’s not the biggest story of the year? What happens if local news is left to Harrisonburg media sources…owned by large, out-of-state corporations…who are already understaffed and struggle to serve the tens of thousands in their immediate audience west of the Massanutten? Will there be regular meeting coverage?…game coverage?…watch dog journalism, or just light features?
We also fully acknowledge that there is a lot that we miss due to the same thing that plagues newsrooms at all levels at this stage of the media’s evolution — inadequate staffing. It’s not surprising when one considers that being a journalist was for many years ranked just below lumberjack on a long list of desirable and profitable professions.
To quote Mick Jagger, “You don’t know what you’ve got, until it’s gone.” Printed newspapers — the main source of local news in small, rural communities across the country — are closing at a rate of two per week in the U.S. We don’t present this as a taunt to our print competitor, but rather a statement of fact. The media landscape is changing much quicker than the average consumer realizes.
We hope the business community will continue to make the digital transition with us and continue to support our efforts as traffic continues to grow. We truly believe that dollar-for-dollar, given our audience and reach, we are the best marketing tool in the Page Valley. As we grow financially, so will our ability to cover more stories, issues, games and events.
We hope local government officials will put in a good word for us at the state level as we join other online publishers across Virginia in our ongoing attempt to open up the market for Public Notice publication and the accompanying revenue. Not only will a change in the law (which currently requires a print format) offer online publishers a fair playing field with print products, but it will also create the opportunity to get Public Notices in front of more members of the community through a growing media format — rather than create a monopoly for a dying medium.
We present our news of new records in readership, along with a strong dose of self-promotion, to once again highlight the importance of community journalism. We believe there is a strong demand, and we have built something solid in our first three-plus years. We want to continue to build on that foundation and grow along with the businesses, organizations and people in the Page Valley.
Legendary Hampden-Sydney College football coach Stokley Fulton used to say, “If you’re green, you grow; if you’re ripe, you rot.” Well, we are still a little green as we inch closer to our fourth anniversary in early 2024. We are still learning and striving to improve our product. We thank all of our readers and supporters up to this point, and we look forward to growing with all of you for the foreseeable years ahead.
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PVN Growth — Year-to-Year Comparisons
Users
- 2020 — 111,981
- 2021 — 198,240
- 2022 — 246,011
- 2023 — 157,658 (YTD)
Sessions
- 2020 — 289,483
- 2021 — 410,897
- 2022 — 515,933
- 2023 — 304,416 (YTD)
Pageviews
- 2020 — 634,188
- 2021 — 733,965
- 2022 — 921,692
- 2023 — 537,141 (YTD)
If you have something to submit to PVN — a story idea, news release, calendar item, obituary, yard sale — or you would like some information about advertising, contact Publisher Randy Arrington at publisher@pagevalleynews.com
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OTHER EDITORIALS
Shake up in local GOP, why local politics shouldn’t be political
State leaves uncertainty late in budget season; county advertising several tax increases
Recreational plans slow down as ARPA funds dwindle and budget cycles tighten for FY24
Public Notice amendment provides for more awareness, financial savings and fairness
Page Valley News continues to grow entering third year of local coverage
PVN reaches major milestone with more than 1 million pageviews since launch
Congratulations, and thanks for providing this vital service!
” It’s not surprising when one considers that being a journalist was for many years ranked just below lumberjack on a long list of desirable and profitable professions.”
Journalism was more in favor of the working class back then. Now it’s cozy with the “elite” and can’t miss an opportunity to support them and their leftist freaks and lunatics.
You seem to spend a lot of time patronizing local journalism sites, so it must not be that bad…fascist need news too? right?
This was a recent poll…in the last decade or so…it was an annual online poll that ranked professions based on pay scale, stress, ability to climb the ladder, and many other factors in employment. It always put journalism at the bottom of the list. As far as the rest…be careful where you place your focus…broadcast journalist on MSNBC are quite a different thing than the small town journalist covering a council meeting. People lump “media” together in a big package…there are many levels and types, just like other professions.
Achtung Herr Reed! What does extreme nationalism, militarism, and government control of business have to do with studying the news and having individual unrepressed thoughts about what is learned?
What you’re describing is more like the DEMONcratic party, trashing individual rights for the “greater good” of the state.
And the state defunding the police as in Washington DC, which has driven up homicides to 158 so far this year. Now the city council is suggesting bringing in the National Guard because the police are ineffective. Yes antisemitic DEMONcrats going military
In the nation’s Capitol. Achtung!
Mr. Arrington. You need to “focus” on your “a journalist was for many years”. But I can understand how your mind assumed a defensive crouch. My mind was back “many years”, in the 1920s and 30s, when what you wrote was true. Back many years like when “The Three Stooges”, made fun of rich people dressed in tuxedos and throwing pies at each other. And a Judge getting a pie in the face, who then seeks revenge, and launches a pie at the perp who ducks and the pie hits his wife in the face. The Stooges had no mercy, and neither did journalists, “many years” ago.
Over a 100 years ago, the largest newspaper magnate in the Country, William R. Heart, literally single-handedly started the Spanish American War through his “coverage” of the events in Cuba. Journalism then, as is now, is still subject to the same unscrupulous hucksters as it was back then, and it’s also subject to communicating hard and shared truths – a linchpin in our democracy as universally recognized by the Founders.. heck one “news” outlet just found out to the tune of almost a $1 billion what being an unscrupulous huckster can cost, but to them its a small price to pay for their business model, as it was to William Hearst over 100 years ago….but back on subject, in my opinion this news outlet has benefitted our community well and is a vital importance, job well done.
Thank you for the extensive coverage of local government. I hope you will continue to focus on the EDA, particularly the clover property for which there seems to be workforce housing in the works,the proposed visitors center just outside of town, and the proposed massive water park and hotel complex next to the golf course, as well.as what seems to be a significant increase in the number of county employees.