History
I stepped away from the Lodi Valley Chronicle in March of 2024 (with a couple straggler posts) because I couldn’t do what I felt needed to be done, and do it for free.
I’ve spoken to a few people who are more knowledgeable than me, and they’ve said they would love to see the LVC come back.
So would I.
But I’m still saddled with the same issues I had when I closed down a year ago: It’s just too much for one person. And I’ve promised that no one will be required to pay in order to read the Chronicle. I won’t walk that back.
Talking with Heidi at the Chamber of Commerce, she suggested I create a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. This will, I think (any Lodi lawyers want to help me out here?), allow me to accept donations and pass them along to contributors without having to declare it on my personal income taxes. That’s significant.
Which brings me to the major change: I want to pay community members to report the news. And I want to ask area businesses (and individuals) to sponsor those journalists. If I figure out how to make this work, you can donate directly to the Chronicle on a one-time basis. Or you can subscribe via PayPal and sponsor a “beat”; The “West Point Beat”, “The Grove Beat”, “The LHS Beat”, “The School Sports Report”… Whatever you want to see reported. Or just become a general patron and support our journalists.
Sponsored articles will have a prominent header block saying something like “This article is proudly sponsored by Bob’s Boot Factory. Proudly protecting Lodi farmers’ feet since 1863.” with a link to your website.
Back to the Same Old Problem
Which… requires that we have journalists.
In the past, the Chronicle had several regular contributors, but they were talking about their own things. I’m looking to pay for “citizen journalists”–people who are willing, for a small payment, to report on actual news.
What I can pay will depend on how much people and businesses are willing to support the Chronicle, and how much I can bring in through grants. I want to stress one thing: 100% of local contributions1minus any fees charged by PayPal–unless the patron specifies otherwise–will go directly to citizen journalists.
And all patronage will be tax deductible. Help Lodi, help Lodians, and get a little bonus for yourself.
The Question
So… I’m asking: Would you be willing to become a patron?
As a business, would you be willing to contribute $100/month to a topic you care about? (More would always be appreciated)
As a reader, would you be willing to pay to support journalists reporting on city/town meetings, school board meetings, local events, etc?
As a citizen journalist (written or photgraphic), would you be willing to spend the time to attend city/town/school board meetings if you were paid to report what was discussed? Would you be willing to write and inform us on a topic you’re passionate about?2Without knowing what resources I’ll have, I’m thinking $15 for a simple article, $20 for a report on a municiple meeting, $40 for a report on a school board meeting. I need to talk to some people about what a fair price for photos would be.
The Offer
As I said above, Vol. 1 of the Chronicle had several local businesses and individuals who had “regular columns”–Chief Smith talked about law enforcement topics, Patti Herman talked about the Ice Age Trail, and Nancy Long talked about county-level politics.
And we had both the “Lodi & The World” and “View from 202” video interview series. Are you willing to sit next to me and talk have an open conversation? Let’s do it.
If someone is <i>really</i> supportive of LHS sports, I would LOVE to be able to pay for the equipment and people to have the Chronicle live-stream LHS sports with local commentators (and saved online for those who can’t view it live).
If you are a Lodi-area business, organization, or group, and would like to educate or inform the community on a topic (or range of topics) on which you have knowledge, let me know.
So…
Do you want local news that’s actually local? Do you want to know what’s happening in city, town, and village council meetings?
Are you willing to step up and support “Our home, Our news”, knowing that all the money goes to the people bringing you Lodi area news–and <i>only</i> Lodi area news?
Leave a comment below and let me know if you’re willing to support The Lodi Valley Chronicle, Vol.2.
Editor-in-Chief
A Lodi native, Blaze attended the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay where he graduated with a degree in theatre technology & design. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States and the world–including a 6-year stint in China. He has been a teacher, a writer, a designer, and is the founder of the Redleaf Consulting Group.
Be First to Comment