Ballantine Communications Inc. will hold focus groups in January to solicit input on proposed enhancements to news and feature content, potential changes in newspaper publication frequency and new digital advertising opportunities for the real estate, auto and employment markets.
The forums, which will be held Jan. 18-23, are intended to inform and engage readers and business owners on developing trends in the media industry. The sessions will be at the DoubleTree Hotel in Durango.
Ballantine Communications is the parent company of The Durango Herald, the Pine River Times in Bayfield and The Journal in Cortez.
It has been several years since Ballantine Communications conducted a reader survey, and given the rapid change in the way people read and use news sources, the company felt it was imperative to hold discussions with readers and advertisers, said Doug Bennett, Ballantine CEO.
"Our incredible online readership growth shows that we're doing our job of meeting our readers' needs," Bennett said.
"But we need to better understand how the newspaper and website are being used and how we continue to meet our readers' and advertisers' needs."
Some sessions will be devoted to newspaper subscribers, with a discussion on what news and feature content is the most important to them and how they find and use content in the newspaper, at their websites and through social media. The company also intends to solicit ideas from occasional readers and nonsubscribers.
Ballantine Communications' advertisers and other business owners will be invited to sessions devoted to discussions on solutions to reach their target audience through print and digital media.
The company has engaged Borrell Associates, a leading media advisory firm, to present an update on the rapidly changing media industry and to facilitate the discussions.
Members of the senior management team of the Herald will be on hand to listen and learn from readers and advertisers.
Participation will be by invitation. Subscribers, nonsubscribers, advertisers and other business owners who do not receive an invitation by late December and who wish to join a discussion group can submit their name and the reason they would like to participate by emailing Angela Helfrich at ahelfrich@bcimedia.com.
