The Monroe Times and Monroe Shopping News are trying to do their best to work with customers to let them know we have options to spread information in the community to help.
Just like every other business, which has seen a downturn in 2020 due in COVID-19, there has been a downturn for us, too, in retail advertising. And it makes sense. There are businesses in our community that have no or little ability to function. They’ve had to shutter, reduce services or hours or make drastic changes in how they function.
The most important thing the Monroe Times and Monroe Shopping News can do right now is send all of our business partners this message: We were here for you before COVID-19, we’re here for you now and we’re going to be here after this international crisis passes.
Our readership both in print and online is at its highest levels in several years because there are more people seeking out news. Ever since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve put every story we’ve written about the situation in front of our online paywall for the entire community to read. We’ve been letting businesses know that if they can’t advertise, but have important news to tell the community, we can put business briefs in the newspaper about hour changes, businesses shuttering, changes in services, etc.
At this time, we can provide content options to help businesses spread their message. We’re asking all of our customers and essential businesses “how can we help you?”
Our news in the Monroe Times has been community-centered. We’ve covered the COVID-19 crisis without making the newspaper 100% about the pandemic. Editor Emily Massingill and reporter Kat Cisar have been inventive to make this happen. We’ve continued to cover our regular government and court beats. We’ve produced in-depth feature stories on local individuals and families. Photographer Brenda Steurer has helped bring the community colorful photographs.
Sports reporter Adam Krebs devoted an edition to “esports,” including focusing on local school children who have become part of a burgeoning competitive arena. We continue to look for outside-the-box stories to mimic what our readers have already discovered. We all must find ways to get through COVID-19.
Many families couldn’t get together for Easter, so what did they do? They hooked up a camera on a laptop and did a “Facetime,” “Zoom,” or some other type of teleconference family gathering in order to maintain social distancing.
We have 20 associates at Morris Media of Monroe and we are an essential business, but rarely will you find more than four of us in the office at the same time. We’re practicing work-at-home guidelines under Wisconsin’s “Safer at Home” protocol. Yet we’re available, steadily working and as relevant as we’ve always been. Our story is the same as many other essential businesses. We’ve become more innovative. We’ve worked on telling the stories of businesses that have either helped the community or also have become ingenious.
I look at how both the Minhas Brewery and Badger State Ethanol have stepped up to make new hand-sanitizing products at a time when the country needs that product. Those are important things to mention. I look at the blood drive recently held at Monroe Truck Equipment. People continue to give during this time of need.
Not including the health side of it, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an absolute economic disaster for many.
Yet, we’re still here for each other. Blackhawk Technical College has developed a virtual admissions program and have donated PPE to hospitals and nursing homes. The City of Monroe has offered utility bill pay options. The Green Cares Food Pantry and Green County Food Pantry are working to feed patrons as SWCAP’s food pantries remain open. The community has banded together for the
millionmasksmonroewi.com project.
These tidbits of news and in-depth stories — in addition to so many more — have all recently been on the pages of your local hometown newspaper in Green County — the Monroe Times. They’ve been on our website at www.themonroetimes.com. More business news and announcements have appeared on the pages of the Monroe Shopping News and its website, mymonroeshoppingnews.com.
We help people tell their stories all the time, that’s our job. It’s important for us to tell you our story, because nobody else will. Your local newspaper has been here to serve the community through so many crises in the past 120-plus years. This is another that we will make it through together.
— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
