Gratitude. There’s no better word to describe the sentiment expressed all around during our May 14 event marking the five-year anniversary of Mainstreet Daily News.
What a five years it has been. We published our first story the week before the country shut down from COVID-19, dramatically altering our plans to help fill gaps in local news coverage. Since 2020, those gaps proliferated as we have seen closures and cutbacks at outlets across North Central Florida.
Like the little engine that could, Mainstreet kept climbing the mountain—one story, one meeting, one partnership at a time.
Today, Mainstreet has more than 100,000 unique website users a month, a daily email newsletter that will soon hit 10,000 subscribers, and more than 20,000 weekly print editions distributed to homes and businesses throughout Alachua County (and some in Gilchrist County).
We are honored to be the most widely circulated newspaper in North Central Florida. We are deeply grateful for the trust you place in Mainstreet to deliver accurate, fair coverage of local news, sports and events—so you can stay safe, cast informed votes and be a better neighbor.
We are also deeply grateful to the advertisers, members and other partners who make it all possible.
And what better way to express that gratitude than to throw a party? We were pleased to entertain more than 100 members, partners, elected officials and other guests who enjoyed food, music, prizes and tours of our newly-renovated office.
During a brief program, Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward expressed his appreciation for Mainstreet’s important role in the community and our accurate, unbiased coverage.
“The articles are out there, telling you what happened at the city telling you what happened at the county administration building, telling you what happened at whatever the event was, and covering local sports as well,” Ward said. “That is such a big deal, and it was a big missing piece in our community.”
Ian Fletcher, CFO of the Greater Gainesville Chamber, spoke about his organization’s strong partnership with Mainstreet and the quality of the editorial work.
“I’m a graduate of UF journalism, and couple years ago, Dean Hub Brown spoke, and he said facts plus context equals truth,” Fletcher said. “One thing you know each and every time you’re going to get from Mainstreet Daily News is the truth.”
Barzella Papa, CEO of the Community Foundation of North Central Florida, also recognized Mainstreet’s service to local residents and the foundation’s efforts to strengthen local journalism, including facilitating financial support for our new Report for America education reporter, who will be joining our team this summer.
“Your role in our community is critical and is needed now more than ever,” Papa said.
We are thrilled that our newsroom will soon have three full-time news reporters for the first time, in addition to Senior Editor C.J. Gish, Sports Director Mike Ridaught and a stable of freelance contributors.
A strong local news outlet means a stronger community. Whether you have become a member, you support Mainstreet advertisers, or you simply read and share stories, we thank you for participating in this collaborative effort.
We look forward to growing with Gainesville over the next five years and beyond.
