At a time when most newspapers are cutting pages and issues, The Alabama Baptist expanded its news production, Editor Bob Terry told messengers to the Alabama Baptist State Convention Nov. 17.
“We’re offering more pages, more news and more inspiration than at any time in the history of our state paper,” he said.
Terry said newspaper board of directors met Oct. 30 to adopt a five-year strategic plan after a year of work. The plan includes at least 115 action items and deadlines for those actions, he said.
“Our hope is when this is done our paper will be more useful.”
Meanwhile, Terry said The Alabama Baptist had already been implementing changes to improve the newspaper, including securing services from the same printer that prints USA Today. Coupled with that, the newspaper front page was redesigned in mid-September and paper and print quality upgraded — all at a savings.
The Alabama Baptist also purchased new computers and camera equipment and improved its production program with the result that the newspaper staff is working on what Terry termed “a learning curve.”
Despite that, Terry said The Alabama Baptist is on track to publish more than a thousand pages of news and inspiration in 2004, a record for the paper.
He said 70 percent of editorial space is allotted for Alabama Baptist news, and every association has already had a major news or feature story this year.
‘Communications bargain’
Terry also pointed out that at 20 cents a copy, The Alabama Baptist remains a “communications bargain.” The subscription rate for the newspaper will remain unchanged in 2005.
In addition to subscription rates, the newspaper also receives advertising revenue and funding from the Cooperative Program to cover full production costs, about 40.5 cents a copy, or $45,000 an issue. The newspaper is mailed to more than 110,000 Alabama families weekly. Last year advertising revenue increased by 30 percent.
Terry noted that the award-winning paper is professionally evaluated each year. Last year judges awarded The Alabama Baptist nine awards, including Best News Story from Associated Church Press and Baptist Communicators Association.
The paper also won a first-place award in photography and recognition for feature writing, news coverage of an event, reader reaction and overall excellence.
Joe Godfrey, outgoing president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, presented his personal evaluation of the state newspaper.
Godfrey said that after observing board meetings and examining other state newspapers, “You discover that our state paper is heads above all the rest.”
Godfrey’s church is one of 140 churches and associations that publish local editions, utilizing newspaper space for its newsletter.
“That’s good stewardship when you can put everything together in one package,” Godfrey said.
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