By Carl Helton, LC staff
Did you know that Lakeland Currents is in its 20th year providing the Lakeland community local news?
The format and the name have changed since its inaugural first edition that was mailed out back in the spring of 1998.
In December 2016 the publication cut the printing and circulation ties and now the news is brought to you only in a digital format with the internet and social media: www.lakelandcurrents.com and the LC Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LakelandCurrents/?fref=ts
In 2017, the online version of Lakeland Current had just shy of 43,000 unique viewers with 185,000 page views.
Over the years, many volunteers in the community have contributed to disseminating the news to residents including five editors and key figures with other organizations like Partnership Lakeland (PL) and COLA (Council of Lakeland Associations).
The idea to create a publication was spurred from meetings of PL and COLA with Don Bennett being the first publication editor.
According to Mr. Bennett, the first “issue” was an emergency information sheet delivered to one neighborhood.
“The first issue was just an “emergency info sheet” delivered by hand to all the homes in Woodland Park by Judy (Don’s wife) and me about 4 p.m. one day. I believe it was titled City Watch,” said Mr. Bennett.
He noted that the Mayor had quickly called a special Board of Commissioners (BOC) meeting, only announcing the session earlier in the day. “He was planning to have the Board of Commissioners approve a sale, lease or gift of land to the County for a 24-7 County Sheriff’s Department Substation. Many trees would be cut down, taking away the buffer between Woodland park homes on the west side and the mobile home park (Canada Trace Mobile Home Community) further to the West. The patrol cars would enter the site opposite one of Woodland Park entrance streets. Several new building would be constructed. City Hall was packed with Woodland Park residents. Several had video cameras. All spoke against the substation. The Mayor backed down,” said Mr. Bennett.
Citywatch Origins
The first actual Citywatch (CW) issue was in April 1998. In the beginning the circulation was around 1,500 and the cost was covered by various organizations, mainly the Civic Club and Lions Club, in exchange for a platform for their news. After the first few issues, ads were sold and placed on the back page to help cover expenses. The publication was named by Gerrit Verschuur’s wife, Joan. The Garner Lake Association had a publication called Lake Watch so Citywatch was chosen for the community publication. And thus the volunteer news source was born.
When Mr.Verschuur took over the publication as editor in the summer of 2000 he pushed ad sales to cover the printing and circulation costs instead of relying only on funds from city groups. Over the years there have been many editors, writers, mailers, and other variety of helpers, all whom were citizens of Lakeland and all volunteers that helped getting the news out. As Lakeland grew, so did the amount of publications being produced.
By the time the publication was 10 years old it was reaching 5,800 mailboxes including 1,000 outside of Lakeland with publication expenses reaching $3,000 per issue, according to Editor Brian Haines. Between 2009 and 2013 the city paid $1,800 a year in exchange for City articles in Citywatch, he said. The City contribution lasted from 2009 to 2013. Neighborhood associations and City groups also contributed funds so their stories could be published in the community newsletter. Once the City and club fees were discontinued, the publication (and online website) covered expenses via advertising.
Margaret Brown, a community volunteer for many years, joined the Citywatch staff and sold advertising from 2007 to 2015.
Citywatch operated under the umbrella of COLA until the organization disbanded in 2015. Cecil Tompkins became part of that group in 2007 and was the chair from 2010 until 2015.
Citywatch became Lakeland Currents in 2014 via a contest when Mr. Haines suggested the winning name. The updated publication was released in a four-color format and moved into a new direction under new leadership.
With Lakeland’s population above 12,000 residences by 2015, the need to sell additional ads to pay for the publication became harder and harder. The decision was made in 2016 to go completely digital as www.lakelandcurrents.com Initially it seemed like a scary move as residents came to expect a hard copy of the news in their mailbox every other month. However, going digital would eliminate all the print and mailing costs and the decision was made to move forward into a new era for Lakeland Currents. Ad contracts were changed to the digital format.
In addition, the digital platform offered more “current” news than the bi-monthly hard copy snail mailed version. Today, news, features, meeting notices and pictures are posted multiple times a week, often daily. And volunteers in the community continue to donate their time and expertise to write stories and take pictures.
Monthly statistics for the new format continue to show interest by Lakeland citizens as well as viewers outside the City. In December 2017, there were almost 6,000 unique viewers and 18,000+ page views, an outstanding result for a new format.
A link to early issues of CW will be posted to the LC archives on the website.
Editors through the years
Don Bennett – April 1998 – July 2000 – He and his wife Judy now live in New Mexico.
Gerrit Verschuur –August 2000 – January 2008. He was elected to the BOC in 2001 and again in 2007. According to Mr. Haines, Mr. Verschuur did not edit the April 2007 CW when he ran for office. Mr. Verschuur and his wife Joan now live in Puerto Rico but expect to return to the U.S. this year.
Brian Haines and Carla Sohns – Feb. 2009 – Jan. 2010
Carla Sohns – February 2011 – March 2013
Sherrye Willis – April 2013 – present
Noteworthy
- COLA (Council of Lakeland Associations) was founded in 1998 and was comprised of five groups: Lakeland Civic Club, Garner Lake Association, East Shores Homeowners Association, Lakeland Estates Homeowners Association and Lake Shore Ladies Club. It was formed to address the lack of communication in Lakeland.
- Mr. Verschuur’s tenure as editor also included the jobs of advertising, writing, editing and delivering the printed publication to the post office for snail mailing. He was considered a “one man show” for community news.
- Citywatch operated under the umbrella of COLA until it was disbanded in 2015. Citywatch became Lakeland Currents in 2014 with a new format and color.
- Cecil Tompkins became involved with COLA in 2007 and its chair in 2010. He was elected to the BOC in 2009 and later founded the Lakeland Education Foundation.
- Partnership Lakeland (PL) also was founded in 1998 as a PAC (Political Action Committee) and Gerry Burditt was the treasurer for nine years.
- Community volunteer Margaret Brown was the sole advertising director for CW from 2007 to 2015, when she retired her post.
- The City of Lakeland contributed $300 per issue for Citywatch from 2009 until 2013. The money was solicited from the City as well as clubs and organizations in exchange for a platform for their news, published in CW.
- The website continues to operate on a volunteer basis, with no one on the staff paid a salary.
- The hardcopy publication went solely online in December 2016 as lakelandcurrents.com
