Recently my circulation director shared something surprising and unexpected with me. He said that my little newspaper in Enumclaw had the highest number of voluntarily paid subscribers in the Sound Publishing network. I was taken aback.

There are more than 30 newspapers owned by Sound Publishing in the Puget Sound area, most of them operating on the same complimentary, canvassed delivery model. However, none of the papers come close to approaching the support level we receive with the Enumclaw Courier-Herald. In Enumclaw and Buckley combined, we deliver to 12,354 households – with a total of 1,272 of these complimentary subscriptions voluntarily paid for!

That means more than 10 percent of the households receiving The Enumclaw Courier-Herald on their front porches, in their mailbox tubes or driveways each week appreciate our efforts enough to write a $15 annual check to say “thank you” and guarantee their paper delivery.

Well, the appreciation travels in two directions, and I decided to use my “Our Corner” this week as an opportunity to thank our wonderful residents who have taken a personal stake in ensuring they get their news every week. So, thank you subscribers.

The $15 subscription rate you pay is more than just a kind gesture; it guarantees that if we somehow miss delivering your paper, we will rush a new copy out to you on the same business day.

While the subscription numbers for Enumclaw and Buckley are strong because we have operated the newspaper here for 110 years, our subscription rates are growing in the communities of Bonney Lake and Sumner. Combined, our newspapers in all three markets have voluntarily paid subscriptions from nearly one in 20 households.

When it comes to the business side of the newspaper industry, this is really quite remarkable. Often our advertisers try to compare the value of marketing in our newspapers against other vehicles like direct mail. Just imagine how many people care enough about junk mail to guarantee delivery by writing a subscription check?

Thank  you for recognizing the value of your hometown newspaper and validating our efforts to serve your thirst for award-winning, local news coverage.

And if anyone would like to guarantee delivery of their copy of The Courier-Herald, please call Dawn Inmon, our circulation manager, at 360-284-4841 to discuss the options available in your area.

Written by Courier-Herald Publisher Brennan Purtzer