FEATURED IN 2018... KIDS AND FAMILIES 144 TIMES
The award winners in this year's Better Newspapers competition included:
A REPORT TO OUR COMMUNITY GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS 166 TIMES
Dear Readers, Advertisers, and Supporters,
As The Sopris Sun makes its way through its tenth year of existence in Carbondale, we can report that despite the battering winds of change raging around the news industry these days, our little hometown, non-profit newspaper continues to thrive.
As evidence for this claim, we are pleased to present our 2019 Annual Report celebrating the newspaper's accomplishments in 2018.
LOCAL EVENTS 113 TIMES
SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION 182 TIMES
LOCAL ARTS 113 TIMES
As attentive readers and supporters will know, the paper has made quite a few changes, starting with the paper on which we print the paper (it is now much whiter and brighter, more like the paper we printed on back in 2009 when we started up). It's a little more expensive to print on the brighter paper, but we think it is worth it.
We also have expanded the page size a bit to conform with the dimensions of the other publications printed at Colorado Mountain News Media's printing plant in Gypsum. In making this deci-
INCOME
2018: Total $328,231
sion, we concluded it would reduce our printing costs by not making the printers realign the press to match our different size. And the savings realized there have helped us offset the added costs of the brighter newsprint.
Every week, we print 3,500 copies of the paper and distribute them from West Glenwood Springs to Aspen in about 75 main locations, including Carbondale-area schools, whether in a box outside, or on countertops inside. There are also between 10 and 20 “small deliveries” to select business locations around downtown Carbondale on Thursday, our publication day.
Colorado Press Awards
For the second year in a row, The Sopris Sun did itself proud at the annual Colorado Press Association's convention and competition, garnering a baker's dozen (13) awards for news writing, photography, ad layout, business reporting and, of course, for our ever-improving website, courtesy of Footsteps Marketing and some intensive, ongoing work by the editor.
2019 Budget: Total $301,640
• Editor Will Grandbois for a shot he took during the Lake Christine Fire in July, 2018, titled “Fourth Under Fire;”
• Two different photo essays by photographer Jane Bachrach and designer Terri Ritchie;
• Sustained coverage of the ongoing drought afflicting our region, by Editor Will Grandbois, Reporter Megan Tackett, photographer Jane Bachrach, and freelancers Amy Hadden Marsh, Justin Patrick and Jon Nicolodi;
• A news story by Megan Tackett about the income disparity among working people in the valley.
Employment
The Sopris Sun currently provides regular employment to six local residents — Will Grandbois and Megan Tackett, along with graphics/layout designer Ylice Golden; ad manager Carol Fabian; delivery guy Tommy Sands; and bookkeeper Betsey Safford. The editor is the paper's only full-time employee.
Plus, we have “about a dozen freelancers” providing supplementary stories and photographs, depending on the need for each week's paper.
Internet presence
In addition to its print product, The Sopris Sun has been ramping up its social media presence over the past
EXPENSES
2018: Total $272,643
couple of years. We now are averaging roughly 2,200 “sessions” per week on our web site (www.soprissun.com), meaning that's how many times readers log in to our website, compared to about 1,500 readers per week in 2017.
Beyond that, The Sun has been “liked” by 2,148 visitors to our Facebook page, up from about 1,800 at this time last year; and we have 1,047 followers on Instagram.
LOCAL PEOPLE 132 TIMES
Finances
Turning to the newspaper's finances, our annual budget grew considerably last year, from approximately $238,000 in 2017 to more than $328,000 in 2018, according to budgetary documents approved and accepted by the Board of Directors. Our spending also increased, from $259,000 in 2017 to roughly $272,000 last year (see the pie charts on this page for breakdowns of the types of income and expenditures.) In closing, we would like to thank our generous contributors and readers who over the past decade have been the most important source of support for this valiant experiment in non-profit newspapering.
We could not exist without all that support, and we urge you to remember to give what you can to keep The Sun shining — no give is too small, and every little bit you give gets us that much closer to having another year of growth and success.
2019 Budget: Total $301,640
BREAKING NEWS 51 TIMES
NON-PROFITS 88 TIMES
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY 97 TIMES
LOCAL VOICES 113 COLUMNS
OUTDOORS AND RECREATION 78 TIMES
LOCAL BUSINESS 108 TIMES
RANCHING AND FARMING 43 TIMES
Advertising $226,057 69%
Grants/Legacy $63,862 19% Donations $38,312 12%
Advertising $237,890 79% Grants $5,000 2%
Donations $58,750 19%
Staff 53% $144,918
Staff 57% $170,777
Admin/Rent 20% $53,924
Admin/Rent 19% $58,473
Printing & Web 23% $62,767 Distribution 4% $11,034
Printing & Web 20% $60,000 Distribution 4% $12,390
LOCAL HISTORY 81 TIMES