4 reasons to become a Times subscriber

After a year and a half in COVID-19's grip, the United States has fewer local news reporters to tell people how the pandemic is affecting their community and share public health officials' advice.

More than 90 newsrooms have closed or merged with other media outlets since U.S. coronavirus outbreaks began in March 2020, according to the Poynter Institute, a journalism training center and think tank. Many are weekly newspapers in rural and suburban communities.

Newspapers were already fighting for survival before "coronavirus" was a household name. As social media and smartphone apps increased their share of advertising, print publications struggled to tread water. More than 1,800 newspapers have shut down since 2005.

The Wilson Times remains solvent in its 125th year, but COVID-19 hasn't left your local paper unscathed. In April 2020, we made the difficult but necessary choice to reduce publication frequency from six days to two days a week. As the pandemic strained Wilson County businesses, many had to scale back on advertising in order to keep the doors open.

Mirroring a trend seen in newspapers throughout the country, we rely on print and online subscriptions for an increasing share of our operating expenses. That adds significance to our annual tradition of delivering a copy of the Times to every household in the city of Wilson as an invitation for neighbors new and old to become subscribers.

Here are four reasons why it's worth subscribing to The Wilson Times, whether you prefer the hold-and-fold edition delivered to your home, a digital subscription that allows you to read local news online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or the best of both worlds.

• The Times keeps you informed

When a company's bringing jobs to Wilson, when new restaurants open their doors, when the city council, county commissioners or school board make decisions that will affect your life, when natural disasters strike and when crime happens in your neighborhood, our reporters are there to learn all the facts and keep you in the know.

• The Times tells your stories

Crime and court coverage is important, but there's much more to your local paper than what some folks call "bad news." We write about members of your community who help others and make Wilson a better place — nonprofit leaders, first responders, teachers, pastors and tireless volunteers.

Our sports section is packed with stories about student-athletes at our public and private schools. We're often the only media outlet covering your kids as they learn the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat and the value of good sportsmanship.

• The Times advocates for you

On this page, we use our soapbox to promote progress, fairness, freedom and justice in Wilson County. Though the Times is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates for public office, we're not afraid to take a stand on policies and issues that matter to Wilsonians.

Our editorial page spearheaded the effort to build a new animal shelter on the 10th anniversary of county commissioners enacting yearly pet registration fees. In a 125-year first, we published a front-page editorial calling on commissioners to fully fund shelter construction in the 2019-20 budget. It took constituents phoning, emailing and speaking to their commissioners to make that happen. We speak truth to power and alert taxpayers to take action for the good of our community.

• The Times is your neighbor

Raleigh television stations bring their satellite trucks to town when tragedy strikes or controversy boils over, but our staff eats, breathes and sleeps Wilson. We live here. We shop in local stores and eat in Wilson restaurants. We attend the same concerts, plays and festivals you do. We're also a local business — Chairman and CEO Morgan Dickerman is the Times' fifth-generation family owner.

As a good corporate citizen, the Times supports Wilson nonprofits and causes that matter to you. We invested in Wilson's #DowntownTurnaround by relocating our office to Nash Street in the heart of historic downtown Wilson.

We're reporting the news for our neighbors — and if you're reading this, that means you.

Corey Friedman is editor of The Wilson Times and executive editor of Restoration NewsMedia. Reach him at 252-265-7813 and cfriedman@wilsontimes.com.