The Valley Advocate recently conducted a reader poll and the results are in.
Thank you to the hundreds of readers who took the time to fill out or mail in feedback about the paper’s past, present, and future. We also learned a bit more about who Advocate readers are and what you all want from this local alt-weekly.
There were some striking findings in the results. For example, our theater column, Stagestruck, has a strong and dedicated following. That’s not the surprise; Chris Rohmann is an excellent columnist with a great knowledge of the local scene. And it makes us think the Advocate should write more about stage and film.
And there were some requests for things that will never happen: Conservative views from this editor? Keep dreaming.
The following are highlights from the Advocate reader survey and some ideas for how to address your feedback.
∎ The ladies love us. Our readership skews female at 60 percent; 38 percent of readers are male; 2 percent noted they are “all of the above.”
∎ You all are wicked smart. Slightly over 40 percent of respondents said they have a master’s degree or Ph.D.; 30 percent said they have a bachelor’s degree; and 11 percent of readers have an associates’ degree or professional license. As a point of comparison, nationwide about 30 percent of people have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
∎ About those typos … A number of readers noted that they’ve been seeing typos in the Advocate. And they’re right. Newspapers are on the front lines of protecting the English language. Our ability to produce clean copy without typos and grammatical errors sets a standard and creates trust between reader and reporter. We are redoubling our efforts in this area and will have some help from our sharp-eyed colleague, Laurel Gardner.
∎ Many readers love … Our alternative voice. One thing that came up over and over again in reader comments was how much you all appreciate the paper’s dedication to local arts and investigations that cannot be found in mainstream media. Our style of reporting with a dash of no-nonsense sass also received many kudos. You all also enjoy the range of topics we cover, the crossword puzzle, the calendar listings and event staff picks, the paper’s liberal lean, and that it’s free.
∎ Some readers said we could improve the paper by … Cutting back on food and booze coverage, adding more environmental news, doing more investigative journalism, focusing more on Franklin County, improving the website, and including more arts and music coverage. We took these points to heart. So, you all will be reading less food and alcohol coverage in the coming months and seeing more arts and entertainment as well as alternative business articles. We’ve also recently added a monthly environmental column, “Down to Earth.” Investigative journalism is the best journalism and we will continue to dig up as much dirt as possible and share it with Western Mass and beyond. And Franklin County, you’ll be seeing more of us, too!
∎ Life after 30. We received a handful of comments from people age 60 and older who feel the paper doesn’t contain enough information and stories of interest to them. From one reader, “It’s becoming a more youth-oriented paper, which makes sense, but I’m not interested in half of what’s printed.” Ouch! Okay, we hear you. Many people who pick up the Advocate every week have been doing so since we launched in the ’70s — Thank you! — and our readers should be reflected in our pages. So, it will be a mission of ours to make sure the Advocate attempts to represent all kinds of diversity: race, creed, sex, gender, disability, economic status, and age.
∎ Your top five favorite columns are (going in order from most popular to kind of popular): Between the Lines (You like me! You really like me!), News of the Weird, Cinemadope, Stagestruck, The V-Spot.
∎ Your favorite things to read about are (going in order from most popular to kind of popular): Arts and entertainment, local investigative journalism, local businesses, area people profiles, restaurants and bars, music, politics, opinion, weird stuff, etc.
Though the reader survey is closed, my inbox is always open. Tell me what you think about the Advocate at editor@valleyadvocate.com.•
