And just how do I know this, you may ask?

Well, I could reference the emails I get from longtime readers telling me they are enjoying the more frequent, and more community-news-based, coverage. I could mention the phone calls from friends and associates who express to me how they see our move to weekly is not only good for newsreaders in the community, but a smart business decision as well.

Or, and this is a very important sign to me as the owner/publisher/editor of The Business Times, I could reference how all of our advertisers have stayed with us as we moved to weekly, many of them upping their contracts (and commitments) to every week in the paper. After all, without folks buying ads, we cease to exist.

Finally, our mail-out subscriptions are up as well, not an easy accomplishment for a paper that has been free for its entire, 30-plus year existence.

But those groups all fall under the same category, and a privileged category that we are so grateful for, of longtime supporters of The Business Times. Truth is, without them over the years, we never get the chance to do the things we’re doing today. Because they all make up the single most important aspect a newspaper needs in order to survive and thrive in a community marketplace: They read the paper.

Let’s face it, without readers we have no reason to write and nothing of value to sell.

So, how do I know it’s going well? You guessed it, it appears to me we’re attracting more readers. So, the real question has to be, “Just how do you know that, Craig?”

It’s from the comments we get from op-eds and my columns. And no, this isn’t some ego trip, because the comments aren’t particularly complimentary about either the paper or me personally.

And, of course, I am happy to provide some examples. Please forgive some expletive words edited out and spelling in this first example:

Craig Hall’s l**** d*** energy coming through strong on this piece. Why would you be against ppl using thier free association and thier free will to not shop at reactionaries businesses? Or does Craig not actually belive in freedom? Do ppl not have the right to shop where they like? This is why smart business owners stay neutral on divissive issues. If a business owner chooses to drag thier business into a public political battle they cant then complain about when they take some blow back. I mean you all won, be happy, and stop painting yourselves as victims its unbecoming and reeks of cowardice. Toughen up or stay outta the fray.” 

This guy I know personally and know for a fact he didn’t used to read the paper. He does now, especially since he knows I write against his desire to force communism on the people of Grand Junction, Mesa County, Colorado and our nation. And he’s always made snide comments on Facebook about my columns. But now, he also reads the stories we write about what’s happening in our community, because they expose what’s going on in our community, so the people know what the government is up to. And let’s be honest, communists don’t like that one bit, because they need government to force their way of life on to the people, and writing accurate stories prevents that.

You might think I don’t want him as a reader. But you couldn’t be more wrong. The Business Times being an unbiased, accurate source of information means as much to me as it does to him. He just won’t admit it.

How about this latest one?

“I don’t know how I allowed myself to get sucked into this diatribe. At a time when our Federal government is threatening to dismantle our most basic rights, restricting the rights of free speech, the right to peacefully assemble and basically setting out to criminalize all opposition – at a time of constitutional crisis not seen in our lifetime – we have this bizarre screed expressing alarm over our state government regulating guns in an attempt to cut down on the gun violence that is unlike anything anywhere else in the world and putting some restrictions on the power of property owners in relation to tenants. Yes, by all means, protect property rights at all cost! No problem that our government is more and more taking on the characteristics of a fascist dictatorship.”

It’s easy to see he doesn’t read the paper because if he did, he’d never allow himself to be “sucked into” one of my columns, as there’s no way he could be so oblivious to my opinions and writing style. Then again, maybe living in oblivion is what he does. At least I can give him credit for having better grammar, even if it got lost in all the talking points.

And while the first commenter got no response from me (I don’t respond to those who insult whether once or seemingly always), the second guy got my basic reply: Thanks for reading!

Because it’s important to me, The Business Times, our advertisers and our mission and commitment to the community that they do read. I just wish they would reply with something for others worthy of reading.

I’d be happy to print it. And I now have more readers than ever to read it.

In Christ and Freedom (especially of the press).

Craig Hall is owner and publisher of The Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com