Media Frenzy

By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

As this column is generally dedicated to covering the constant hirings, firings, comings and goings at WPMI and other local media organizations, the probing eye of “Media Frenzy” is seldom turned back upon this little rag. However, it seems to be something of a tradition to look at Lagniappe over the past year every July, as it represents another year in the books.

So I’ll play ombudsman this issue and look at the current state of Lagniappe.

First of all, we are all suddenly struck that this think has now been rolling for five years. Why it seems so much more important than two, three or four years, I have no idea. It just does. Half a decade just seems weightier.

We like to think we’ve come a long way from those first publications that to us are like looking at pictures of yourself in junior high. Yuck! I’m sure people are still talking about our scintillating cover story on people who write on bathroom walls, but I suppose we had to start somewhere. We’re just grateful people have been reading all along.

In the past year, the paper has increased circulation 33 percent, jumping from 15,000 every two weeks to 20,000, improved distribution tremendously and attracted a larger readership and advertiser base. (Boy, that sounded really easy, didn’t it?)

Editorially, we tried to capitalize on our niche of providing the things you’re not getting elsewhere. One of the things that has meant is more in-depth news reporting when possible and trying to ferret out stories that aren’t being told. I think we’re doing a better job of that – not as great as I’d like, but better. As the paper has routinely been 40 or more pages lately, we’ve pushed the commentary section back some to allow room for more news features and letters.

We added a Washington column when our former county columnist, Jeff Poor, moved to DC and decided he had time to chase Congressfolk around up there in addition to putting beef jerky on his table. Derek Bagley has come in and done a great job covering Mobile County since Jeff went Beltway on us.

A couple of things have gone away, too. Matt Devan’s wine column left after he went to North Carolina. We’re still thinking about how to present wine in a way our readers will find interesting and useable, but we do plan to put some emphasis back on wine. We also briefly had a literary column, but had trouble making it fit. Perhaps as we continue to grow there will be room for more book reviews and other literary articles.

Probably the most growth we’ve seen in readership this year, though is on the Web. Our site, lagniappemobile.com, has seen traffic double in the past year. Now on an average month, we have about 9,000-plus unique visitors and more than 300,000 hits. We even got linked to a Rick Springfield Web site, so that has to be worth something!

I’d love to say this is all done through some master plan – and sometimes it seems as if it is, but it certainly isn’t mine or Ashley’s. Mostly we still are just trying to put out a newspaper we would want to read and one that stays irreverent, informative and gutsy. Those times when Lagniappe is all three at once is when we’re most proud.

Thanks for sticking with us for five years. Here’s to the next five and beyond. Now on to our regular programming….

Another WPMI departure

Yes, yet another NBC-15 mainstay is hitting the road soon. Morning anchor Scott Walker tells us he has taken another job and his last day on air will be Aug. 3. Walker was not at liberty to tell us where he’s going. We’ll save that for the next issue. But his departure means all of the station’s main anchors that were here at the beginning of the year are now gone.

We wish Scott lots of luck. He’s a nice guy with a beautiful family. He takes with him four straight Nappie Awards for Best Morning show and three straight for “Sexiest Newsman.” I guess I’ll have to find someone else to vote for next year.

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.

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