Murray Bridge News 2024 reader survey prize winner revealed
Here’s who walked away with a Lenovo tablet – and what our survey tells us about our community.
Avis and David Tolcher have been among Murray Bridge News’ biggest supporters right from the start.
They both signed up for our mailing list the day after we launched, both became paying subscribers in the week we first put up our paywall, and were among a handful of readers who turned up to our first birthday party in 2021.
Ms Tolcher has even starred in a couple of stories over the years: one about the dance troupe she led for many years, the Murray Marvels, and another about Murray Bridge CWA’s 80th birthday.
This week, at last, Murray Bridge News has got to return the favour.
Ms Tolcher’s entry – number 74 – was drawn at random as the winner of our annual reader survey competition last Friday.
Her good fortune earned her a Lenovo tablet, courtesy of Murray Computers; plus a Murray Bridge News pen, mug and tote bag, and an extra 12 months on her subscription.
In an era when there was so much misinformation floating around, David Tolcher said, local news was important.
“We believe in the people and we believe in the product,” he said.
“As we look down the barrel of another disastrous year for our rural sector ... I think news services like Murray Bridge News are going to be very important as part of the process of holding the community together.
“As we learn about the plight of others, we can step up.”
Murray Bridge News readers are mature, educated and – more often than not – female
So what did we learn from the more than 250 responses to this year’s reader survey?
For one thing, we’re popular with the ladies – a majority of our readers are female, despite an industry-wide trend in the other direction.
You tend to be slightly older and better educated than the average for our area.
And, overwhelmingly, you’re pretty happy with your independent local news service:
- 95 per cent of you say we help you feel more connected to the community
- There is a 90% chance you would recommend us to others
- We make 76% of you feel more empowered to have your say about local issues
- 70% of you have taken action after learning about a product, event or fundraiser through Murray Bridge News
- Almost seven out of 10 say we are your number-one source of local news, ahead of the local radio station, social media and The Murray Valley Standard, in that order
The issues that matter the most to you right now are housing, growth and the cost of living, so we’ll think about how we can report on them more deeply over the coming months.
Surveys like this one are really important to businesses like this one.
Murray Bridge News exists to meet our communities’ need for reliable local information, so it’s vital that we know what you need.
We’ve stuck around through a pandemic, a flood and now a drought thanks only to the support of our paying subscribers, advertisers and funding partners; so we need to know if you’re happy with our performance.
That’s the beauty of being locally owned and operated.
So thanks for letting us know what you think in our 2024 reader survey, and please continue to support us however you can.
