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Some of our advertisers pulled us aside last week to let us know a powerful woman had called to let them know in no uncertain terms she didn't like the fact that they helped sponsor this newspaper. It was like deja vu all over again.
Except this time, it wasn't Mayor Elia or Nancy Joseph making the calls. The city administration tried the tactic about a year ago and found it to be about as successful as a 27 percent tax increase. They've since wised up.
This time the irate caller was Cheryl Cicero, the $89,713-a-year den mother out at the Laborers Local 91 union hall on Seneca Avenue.
From the start, the business and professional people who advertise with this newspaper have been a courageous lot. Would advertising in the Reporter bring in customers? Would the sometimes controversial nature of the stories we covered turn people off?
But the people of Niagara, our customers and those of our advertisers, embraced the Reporter. In 18 months we've gone from putting out 5,000 copies every two weeks to distributing 20,000 copies weekly.
It's important to note that most of our advertisers appear regularly. Some every week, some every two weeks and some once a month, but they've all told us that advertising in the Reporter translates into money in their cash registers.
Still, given the pressure that's been brought to bear by various powerful individuals, it becomes clear that they share another common quality.
Guts.
They don't like getting pushed around and they don't like seeing other people get pushed around. Some have felt so strongly on this score they have actually become partners in the newspaper, buying shares in the company and allowing us to grow as quickly as we have.
The nonsense will continue, we're sure. Who knows who will try it next. They say that, in this town, you step on somebody's toe on Niagara Street and somebody on Pine Avenue says ouch.
One other thing that will continue is honest and unbiased reporting on the powerful interests that have contributed to making this region the mess it is today.
You can count on it.