From a Cox Media Group press release
In December, Cox Media Group Ohio challenged industry trends by increasing the page count of the Hamilton JournalNews and The Middletown Journal daily newspapers. Now, building on its tradition of serving the media needs of the region, Cox Media Group Ohio is expanding two weekly newspapers and adding a companion website focused on Butler and Warren counties.
On Sunday, January 20, 2013, Cox Media Group Ohio will introduce two expanded county news weekly editions in the regions currently served by The Western Star, Pulse-Journal Little Miami/Kings, PulseJournal Mason, Fairfield Echo, Pulse-Journal West Chester and Pulse-Journal Liberty Township editions. The papers, called Today’s Pulse of Warren County, a product of The Western Star and Today’s Pulse of Butler County, a product of the Fairfield Echo, will encompass the current weekly editions within each region. Cox Media Group Ohio is also launching a regionally focused website, www.todayspulse.com, to complement and augment both newspapers by providing daily updates of local and county information.
Today’s Pulse of Warren County, a product of The Western Star will expand distribution into South Lebanon, Morrow, Blanchester and Oregonia; Today’s Pulse of Butler County, a product of the Fairfield Echo will expand distribution into Monroe and extend to more homes in Fairfield and Fairfield Township. In all, the county news editions will reach more than 17,000 additional homes.
“In a dynamic market like the Butler and Warren County Corridor between Dayton and Cincinnati, Cox Media Group Ohio adapts as the market grows. And to that end we did an extensive market research study in April 2012 to identify areas of opportunity where we could contribute to and grow with the market,” said Terry Bouquot, Senior Director of Business Operations for Cox Media Group Ohio’s Northern Cincinnati region. “By dedicating our resources to identified needs, we can better serve these high-growth communities. We also found that by creating a more efficient means of providing news to our readers through our county news format, we could expand our reach to more homes each and every week.”
The two weekly newspapers will move from a Thursday distribution to a Sunday distribution. This allows the newspapers to be packaged with Sunday inserts, including those of local grocers like Kroger and Meijer, providing more valuable advertising content and a more complete reading experience for readers each week.
“Our research showed us that the number one media need for families new to the market as well as families established in the market is a good resource for local news and information pertinent to this region – and more information about things to do,” said Jennifer Collins, Editor of the Butler and Warren County editions of Today’s Pulse. “Without hesitation, we felt we could focus additional editorial resources in Warren and Butler County to meet these important needs within the communities we serve.”
The county newspapers will provide more news from the region and county, including locally focused community pages specific to each area, county and state news pages, a business news page, local high school and youth sports pages, court news, real estate transfers, a police blotter, a “Letters to the Editor” page, arts/entertainment, and “Things To Do.”
The local news website, www.todayspulse.com, will aggregate Butler and Warren County information daily – and as it happens, pulling local and regional content that’s most important to readers into one easy-to-use website. The papers will also reach out to readers with a new ‘Today’s Pulse’ email designed to provide readers with everything they need to start their day, including local shopping deals.
“We are focused on making sure our communities have a watchdog and on making sure we deliver good journalism for our communities, now and into the future,” said Collins.
