Commentary By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



It’s Jan. 28 and the economy is still bad.

Some industries are hurting worse than others, i.e. the automotive industry. Even more disturbing are media reports about the demise of media. Newspaper stories about the demise of newspapers. Television stories about the demise of television. Radio reports about the demise of radio.

You get the idea.

For the last several months, I’ve watched in horror as newspapers across the country continue to compete for Lemming Awards, instead of Pulitzer Prizes.

The Lemming Award, for those of you who don’t know, is an award given on the Nintendo 64 video game, “Goldeneye,” for the player who kills himself in the most creative fashion.

When I used to play the game back years ago, it was usually because I shot my rocket launcher off against a wall or I stepped on my own landmine.

On the other hand, lemmings are small rodents known for suicidal tendencies, which is actually a myth.

I say all that to say all this: While other media outlets can freely publicize their own gloom and doom, I refuse to take part in it. Newspapers are still very much a part of the American fabric of our lives and I believe in what they represent and I believe in their future.

Take The North Jefferson News, for instance. The staff here is keenly aware of what’s going on in the world in regard to the economy. Just like the average family and small business, we’ve had to make adjustments.

However, our classified and retail advertising prices are still far better than any of our competitors. After all, we’re a small business too and we want to be able to help other small businesses wherever we can.

With the unstable economic times in which we live, our instincts tell most of us to bolt the doors, put whatever money we have in a sock and just wait for it to blow over.

However, if you’re a small business owner, you can’t afford to do that, and I know it. There are businesses in this community that may soon have to close their doors. Why? Because they played it safe and didn’t advertise.

If people don’t know about a business, what that business sells or where that business is located, how can it stay open? The simple answer is, it can’t. Loyal customers are a wonderful backbone to any business, but in tough economic times even loyal customers become a little more disloyal.

If you own a business, now is the time to take chances. Now is the time to spread the word about what you do. Hiding and waiting won’t improve or grow your business. Now is the time to act.

There are numerous ways you can use the media, whether it be us or someone else, to get the message out about your business. I’d encourage small or big business owners to give us a try. We can promise a quality advertisement for your business at an extremely reasonable price.

After all, we’re a small business, too, and our success depends on your success. Let us help you be successful and I assure you that we’ll emerge from this dark period in our nation’s economy better, wiser and stronger.