This is the second edition of the Oregon City News monthly edition.
Since we discontinued the weekly edition and switched to a monthly publication, you, our readers, have provided us with your feedback on the new product.
Lots of feedback.
Now, I could take this as an opportunity to address each and every one of your concerns, but that would only sound like I’m making excuses. What’s clear is that you want a local product that focuses on what’s going on in Oregon City.
Trust me, we would absolutely love to go back to a weekly product for Oregon City. Personally, I wish every community had a daily newspaper. As my wife will tell you, I’m an old dog who still prefers the printed word (as evidenced by the amount of space books take up in our house). However, the realities of the modern journalism landscape are different, and they’re the reasons why we’re keeping a monthly printed product to be used along with our digital product (oregoncitynewsonline.com).
The people I’ve spoken with in Oregon City have made it clear that local news, high school sports and business features are all important. Finding out what people read in a print product is difficult, but our digital product is another story.
From Aug. 1 through Aug. 29, the most-read stories online were as follows:
1. Kara Taylor’s family issues statement as disturbing details emerge in murder case
2. Oregon City faith healers deny medical treatment for 13-year-old son
3. Suspect arrested in the disappearance of Oregon City woman
4. Oregon City Police attracts 18 new officers
5. Oregon City Police Chief Shaun Davis is sworn in as top cop
6. Update: ODOT says roundabout project ‘on target’
7. Fraught history of Black expulsion is part of Clackamas County author’s ‘DNA’
8. Home sweet home: Cards schoolhouse arrives
9. Victim speaks out after Clackamas County equestrian is suspended by federal authorities
10. Oregon City Code Enforcement officers now respond on weekends
Granted, these results are a little skewed since high school sports all but disappear during the summer.
As for where those readers came from, 55% found stories via social media. An additional 22% went directly to the web page and browsed through stories.
The majority of online readers did so on their phones (51%), while 46% read the stories on their home computers. The remaining 3% read stories on tablet devices.
We will continue to refine both the print and the online products, continue to track data and, more importantly, listen to what our readers have to say. Next month, I expect school news and school sports to be cracking the top-10-most-read stories list. We’re in it for the long haul and I hope you’ll be right there with us.
