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Community drives transformation of local news

Black Press Media reaches historic audience milestone
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Randy Blair, Black Press Media Chief Operating Officer.

It’s an exciting time for Black Press Media, launching into 2020 with the largest audience in its history.

And none of it would be possible without our readers and viewers in communities throughout the province.

“Black Press Media has a long history of supporting individuals, organizations and businesses across B.C. who are working really, really hard to improve the quality of life for so many British Columbians,” says Randy Blair, Black Press Media’s Chief Operating Officer.

“We consider it an honour, a privilege and our responsibility to tell the stories of those who are making their communities – our communities – stronger.”

How has the B.C.-based media company reached its audience milestone?

“Black Press Media is really undergoing a transformation,” Blair explains.

“We’re really focused on engaging our audience across social and digital channels in addition to print,” he says, pointing to Black Press Media’s audience of four million unique website visitors each month and more than one million followers across its social media channels. And that’s in addition to its large, loyal print audience of millions of readers per week.

Driving that growth is a commitment to delivering the content its readers and viewers are looking for, from breaking news to in-depth features, created by Black Press Media’s 185 journalists on the ground in communities across the province – the largest of any news-gathering organization in BC.

As Black Press Media has evolved, so has the skill set of this team of award-winning journalists, whose broadcast expertise and social media skills complement their ability to tell compelling, informative stories.

“Today we have on our team videographers, video editors, script writers, and social media and SEO experts – these are the competencies we need to be successfully engage audiences across our digital and social platforms.”

So, what’s next for Black Press Media?

“It’s exciting that we have so many more opportunities to reach people than we had even five years ago,” Blair says.

Blair is also excited for Black Press Media’s continued emphasis on giving back, at both a local and a provincial level. As the “Heart and Soul of the Community,” initiatives like the current grocery giveaway supporting local food banks are instrumental in bolstering those values.

“It’s a way for us to give back to the communities that have supported us for so long, and do everything we can to make them a better place to work and live.”