Well, it wasn’t exactly a concensus of the population. This is still a relatively new site and I guess people are shy about participation. We only got a dozen or so votes in our poll about the Fort Mill Times.

However, the poll ended up being an interesting mix of opinion. If you recall, Tandra, a Fort Mill resident, stopped receiving her copy of the Fort Mill Times and only found out recently that the neighbors on the street behind her were still getting their free weekly paper.

I threw up two polls to find out what ScoopMill readers thought about the possibility of being charged for their copy of the weekly newspaper, as well as how often they actually read the paper.

With regard to what kind of option should Fort Mill Times offer Fort Mill residents, we had a unanimous vote – everyone wants the paper to be free, but be given the chance to opt-out. As Jenny informed us in the comments on the original post, that is indeed the very option that Fort Mill Times provides.

However, it was a mixed bag on the second question:

Would you purchase a subscription to the Fort Mill Times if it was no longer offered for free?

Yes, I read it faithfully every week and can’t live without it! (31.0%, 4 Votes)

Probably – I read it most weeks if I get the chance. (31.0%, 4 Votes)

Maybe – it would depend on how much they charge though. (15.0%, 2 Votes)

No way – I’ve never paid for it, why should I start now? (23.0%, 3 Votes)

Eight of thirteen respondents said they were willing to pay, or would consider paying, to receive a copy of the paper. Two others said that it would depend on how much was being charged. Only three of thirteen respondents said they would never pay for it.

I’d say that’s an interesting note for the paper to keep in the back of their head, should they ever decide to charge for the paper. Admittedly, my poll was VERY small (13 people out of a 20,000 circulation) but I wonder how it would stack up if the entire 20,000 were polled. If 77% agree to buy the paper – that could wind up being very lucrative for them if they did it right.

Thanks for participating folks!

Last week I got an interesting email from a regular reader, Tandra, concerning our local weekly paper, The Fort Mill Times. Tandra has lived in Fort Mill for a decade and for most of that time received her weekly copy of the newspaper. However, in the past year or so, all deliveries to her street stopped, and she presumed that the FMT no longer offered free papers to residents. Recently she found out a neighbor on the street behind her has still been receiving her papers every week. She is now taking steps to get her street back on the route so that she can get the paper again. But at the same time, Tandra wondered why the FMT is delivered to every house when not everyone wants to get it.

It’s a question that most people ask – especially those that recently moved here. Many express surprise that they get a free weekly paper here in Fort Mill. Tandra, like many others have expressed to me, mentioned the fact that papers that go unread are a waste of resources and money, and wondered if there was a way to organize a campaign to have the FMT offer an opt-in service of some kind so that only the people that want the paper get the paper.

I wrote her back this weekend with my thoughts on why that might not work (loss of significant ad revenue that helps them even be able to PRINT the paper being the chief one) but said that I would still post a poll here at ScoopMill to try and gauge how people feel.

In the sidebar on the right you’ll find two polls about the Fort Mill Times. Chime in with your thoughts by voting in the poll, and be sure to let others know about the poll so they can come vote as well. Voting will be open for ONE WEEK so there is plenty of time to spread the word and get people to come vote!

photo credit: Hamed Saber

Let it never be said that we don’t think our local paper does great work. Several staffers at our local weekly were given journalism awards by the South Carolina Press Association at a special dinner and award ceremony this evening in Myrtle Beach, SC. While there were over 40 categories for weekly papers with a 6,000+ circulation, these are our lucky locals who won 1st, 2nd or 3rd place:

• Business Reporting: 1st: Jonathan Allen, Fort Mill Times.
• Sports Enterprise Reporting: 2nd: Mac Banks, Fort Mill Times.
• Sports Headline Writing: 1st: Mac Banks, Fort Mill Times.
• Lifestyle/Feature Special Edition or Section: 1st: Fort Mill Times.
• News Headline Writing Weekly: 3rd: Michael Harrison, Fort Mill Times.
• Short Story: 2nd: Michael Harrison, Fort Mill Times.
• Series of Articles: 1st: Jonathan Allen and Jenny Overman, Fort Mill Times.
• Beat Reporting: 1st: Jenny Overman, Fort Mill Times.
• Page One Design: 1st: Fort Mill Times.

Special congrats to Jonathan Allen, Mac Banks, Michael Harrison and Jenny Overman for a job well done!!

The Fort Mill Times is reporting that the recent “Coins for Connor” fundraising event at Fort Mill High School netted $5,641 to help Connor McKemey, the Tega Cay teen who suffered major burns in an injury prior to the Christmas holiday this past December. There have been a few “Coins for Connor” fundraisers over the past couple of months, and totals so far reach almost $20,000.

It shows you that any change you carry around – whether it’s one penny or several – can go a long way towards helping someone else!

Connor has already had more than a dozen surgeries since the accident, but is out of the medical-induced coma and is slowly making progress towards recovery.

If you want to assist the McKemey family but don’t know how, consider visiting McKemey Strong, which can tell you how to buy a wristband to support the McKemey family. They are currently being sold at outlets all over Fort Mill and Tega Cay.