The News Herald is and has been for a long time the locals medium for obtaining the “news”.  Chances are, if you read pcbdaily.com, you are familiar with the “local rag,” and many of you probably read it on a daily basis.  I know I do.

It’s funny, if you ask most of our readers what our main competition is, you don’t hear the likes of TripSmarter.com, pcbeach.com, or any of the other numerous blogs and web sites about our area; people will tell you that the News Herald is our biggest competition.  I don’t see it that way, and I never have.

You see, I read the News Herald each day because they do a job that I (I as in pcbdaily) can’t do, nor do I want to do.  Furthermore, I don’t think you would want me to do that job here either.  You never see crime stats, crime reports, car crashes, who died or pictures of Obama photoshopped up like The Joker with “why so serious” marked across his forehead on pcbdaily.  We focus on a specific niche that is targeted, and frankly commands a smaller audience.  But, we have a sophisticated reader.  You read that right, if you read pcbdaily.com with regularity, you are probably educated, somewhat financially stable (if not well-off), and there is a good chance you own a small or medium business.

While we talk about what is happening specific to real estate, growth and tourism in Panama City Beach, the News Herald covers the more generic side of the news world.  They cater to a much larger audience that craves that information.  Only some care about what we talk about here at pcbdaily.  We talk about real estate, growth and tourism because that is what drives the Panama City Beach area and that is what people that are vested in this area care about.

“You guys do a great job, and you’ve become a great value to the community,” said a gentleman I had lunch with today.  I hear that all the time, and it is kind words like that that keep me going.  I often say that makes it all worth while.  I love that people use this as a resource.  I hear from people frequently that they spend numerous hours each week reading through content and I’ve found a fairly healthy shelf life on old content as well. Keep scouring those archives.

Recently the News Herald’s parent company, Freedom Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Delaware court so that they could keep operating regardless of their immense debt load (a whopping $770 million).  Running 33 dailies, 70 weeklies, various other publications and 8 television stations, has a huge overhead cost and with media ad sales down across the country, they aren’t generating revenue like they used to.

That’s the thing I always said was great about pcbdaily, being all online.  We have virtually no overhead.  Hosting costs, employee costs and equipment costs are about it, and it’s great.  When times are tough, I can just find some freelance work to make ends meet, but everything else keeps moving.  Of course, many of you know that I started pcbdaily and ran it for a long time while working a full time job somewhere else.

So many people complain about the News Herald.  But, them, along with many media companies, battle political inclinations that motivate them to lean one way or another.  I suppose I’ve been influenced in the like from time to time.  But, the News Herald is mostly a good read.  I read it daily, and personally, enjoy the ink on my fingers.

I’m thankful for our loyal readers who read us daily, and I always hope that we are meeting up to your expectations.  Please use the comments section below to tell us your suggestions for what you want to hear about.