Did you know that The Reflector Newspaper was started in 1909 and located in Ridgefield?
Mr. Kelley Loe was the founder, editor and publisher of the first eight-page issue.
The paper was delivered by rural mail carriers who were authorized to take Reflector subscriptions and money from the people while on their mail routes. The cost to subscribe was $1 per year.
Flash forward 107 years
The Reflector has had 10 different owners since it was first established and is currently owned by Lafromboise Communications, Inc. which is a family-owned company.
It was moved to Battle Ground in 1911 where it is still based today although it has changed building locations a few times. This year we moved into our new location in Old Town Battle Ground.
The paper is delivered by contracted carriers and we do not charge for subscriptions in our circulation area. For readers outside of our circulation area they can have the paper mailed to them for a nominal fee or purchase it from coin boxes and stores around the area.
Where is the paper printed?
The paper hasn’t been printed onsite at The Reflector since the 1970s. For the last 40-plus years, it has been printed by the Camas Post in Washington, Tualatin Yamhill Press in Oregon or Eagle Web Press in Salem. Today, we print on our company press owned by Lafromboise Communications, Inc. located in Chehalis.
How many papers do you distribute?
We deliver more than 28,000 newspapers by our own contracted motor carriers each week to homes and businesses in our circulation area at no charge.
How long does it take to get all of the papers delivered?
Our drivers start picking the papers up on Tuesday mornings at The Reflector around 8 a.m. and all papers are to be delivered by noon on Wednesday. Some carriers choose to work through the night to accomplish this task. Several of our carriers have other jobs as well so they work their schedule to accommodate their route and deadline.
How can you give your newspaper out for free and still stay in business?
We have a unique model that appeals to both readers and advertisers. The advertising revenue is what helps us keep producing news pages. The readers help by supporting the advertisers businesses. In addition, once a year we have our Voluntary Subscriber Campaign.
What is a Voluntary Subscriber?
Once a year we send out envelopes and flyers asking the readers to support us by becoming a voluntary subscriber and donating money to help with the production and distribution of the paper. As you can imagine, each year it costs more to produce and deliver a free paper. With the support of the community we hope to continue delivering to everyone free of charge.
How can I become a Voluntary Subscriber?
In this week’s newspaper we’ve included a voluntary subscriber envelope and you can write a check and send it to The Reflector. If you’d rather donate by credit or debit card you can call us at 360-687-5151. We can even take monthly donations if that works best for you.
Thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys our paper. We appreciate your support.
Laura Venneri
General Manager
The Reflector
