Salem-News.com (Oct-16-2009 01:49)

The Site Must Go On!

Salem-News.com

It would be a shame if we didn't keep this one-of-a kind news group alive and well.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Hard economic times are affecting businesses across the United States, and Salem-News.com is no exception.

We are lucky, because we have fairly low overhead, unlike many of the media groups that have come before us. New Media is the key to the future, proven every day as more and more people get their news online. More, in fact, than get their news anywhere else.

But as this new venture grows roots, five years old now, it still has much ground to make. Newspapers, many over a hundred years old, are closing their doors. Television is eliminating jobs. All this while communities are turning to New Media as their main source of reliable news, and Salem-News.com is becoming more popular on a daily basis.

But, times are tough, and we are asking for your help.

At this time Salem-News.com is averaging approximately 14,000 unique visitors a day. Those visitors are opening between 40k and 50k Salem-News.com stories in each 24-hour period. Google has given us a page rank of "5", which is equal to or better than Portland TV stations.

For five solid years we have built an audience, and we represent the type of news that so many Americans say is lacking via the mainstream media.

We have a hard-working, dedicated staff of incredible journalists from around the world. We continue to blaze the trail of new media, local online news, and now LIVE online news, setting a standard for what online news will be in the future.

What we need is: support. As with everyone else, regardless of the passion put forth and the motivation to keep pressing forward, we have bills to pay.

Because our efforts are deeply invested in the news product itself, we don't often enough ask for support. However, this has been our downfall. It pains us to consider what would happen if someday we ceased to exist, simply because we didn't let our viewership know it's time to join the team.

It is fair to say this news group was ahead of the ball when we started this "Pure Play" site, meaning we are not aligned or affiliated with any of elements that the mainstream media rely on, like their corporate groups, or the Associated Press.

We are becoming increasingly powerful as a news group, but as we do so our energy goes into writing and publishing and we need to stabilize this company. Our 13,000+ published stories represent a significant portion of news on the Internet relating to Oregon, the Oregon National Guard, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and far more.

We need support from readers, businesses, and the community at large. It would be a shame if we didn't keep this one-of-a kind news group alive and well. The people of Salem, and Oregon and everywhere else deserves this option.

Salem-News.com is the culmination of tens of thousands of hours of work, it is a valuable commodity to the area, and to the technological advancement of online news.

How can you help? Easy. Can you donate $5? $10? More? Are you interested in the media business? We need operating capital. From small donations provided by people who care, to investors who want to sit on the board of Salem-News.com, everything really helps.

Salem-News.com is the only thing like it in the United States. We chose to go down this road and have never let down our end of it. This requires help.

Salem-News.com is at the gates of major success, please help us assume that position.

Thank you for your viewership, and for whatever assistance you can contribute, it will make a difference. In the near future we will create a page thanking businesses and individuals who help, thank you.

Email us directly with any questions: Bonnie King can be reached at bonnie@salem-news.com

To support: Send a check/MO to:Salem-News.comP.O. Box 5238Salem, Oregon 97304

Credit cards and electronic checks are accepted via PayPal. Please CLICK BELOW to go to PayPal. Thank you for your help.

The Site Must Go On!

Salem-News.com