Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/850795
4 UCW JULY 19-25, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM PUBLISHER'S PEN STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/EDITOR Stephanie Crider editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Leslie Pyo leslie@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR Earl Vaughan Jr. GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elizabeth Long art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Erinn Crider, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Paul Hall SALES ADMINISTRATOR/ DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com ACCOUNTING Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and infor- mation on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publi- cation consideration, but assumes no responsibil- ity for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Cover art designed with various elements from: vecteezy.com and freepik.com. Sorry for the confusion this year folks! However, we appreciate the calls for Best of Fayetteville clarification on how our readership survey works and how to prop- erly submit a valid ballot. So, I will clarify what the Best of Fayetteville is, what it stands for and what it means to this com- munity. This, in turn, will explain why it is such a coveted, distinguished and sought- after recognition. For 19 successful years, we've presented and launched the Best of Fayetteville Readership Survey dur- ing the month of July to avoid conflicting with The Fayetteville Observer's Reader's Choice Awards, which is its advertising sales promotion. This annual sales pro- gram has been in existence for 23 years, and until this year, The Observer ran it during September and announced their winners in October. Even though our two programs are completely different in nature and pur- pose, to avoid reader confusion we volun- tarily agreed in 1997 to launch our Best of Fayetteville Readership Survey during the month of July and announce the winners in September. For 19 years, this arrange- ment worked perfectly without conflict or confusion. This year, we were sur- prised to find that Gatehouse Media, the new owner of The Fayetteville Observer, arbitrarily and intentionally changed the format and launched their Readers Choice Advertising Sales Program in July, after the Best of Fayetteville program was launched. We cannot explain these actions con- sidering our cooperative 19-year working relationship. It was our newspaper that made the recommendation and went out of the way to not conflict or interfere with their program. Weird. Who knows? Has it affected our Best of Fayetteville Survey results? Absolutely not. It has only served to confuse and inconvenience those we are so ardently trying to please. According to Don Garner, the Best of Fayetteville project manager, ballot counts are up, and participation is ahead of last year. However, the final numbers won't be in for another couple of weeks. At this writing, the numbers reflect that 2017 will be the best year ever. And, rightfully so. This is our 20th anniversary! So, here's the bottom line, we cannot control how Gatehouse Media runs its newspaper or its business. Honestly, this is just another routine, shortsighted and bazaar action initiated on the corporate level confirm- ing and reinforcing its disconnect with the Fayetteville/Cumberland County com- munity. Please don't be confused or distraught. We are here for you. Matter of fact, here are a few fun facts that will help you understand and distinguished between Best of Fayetteville Readership Survey and the Readers' Choice Award Advertising Sales program. Please share this with your friends, and let us know if anyone needs more clarification. First: Up & Coming Weekly's Best of Fayetteville is a readership survey. It is not an advertising sales program. Here is the distinction: Up & Coming Weekly does not pre-sell advertising to promote or showcase spe- cific businesses and organizations for Best of Fayetteville. However, we do encourage them to promote themselves and encour- age their friends, family and customers to vote Best of Fayetteville. Up & Coming Weekly does not sell or require businesses or organizations to participate with advertising purchases in pre-contest special sections to get their business officially printed on the ballot. The Reader's Choice ads that are pre-sold before the ballot is printed are called sponsorships. These Reader's Choice Award sponsors get their names pre- printed on the ballot, making a legitimate survey invalid. However, it does identify first-, second- and third-place finishers, entitling everyone to a Readers' Choice Award. Since the award itself does not designate what place the business fin- ished, a third-place rating has the same credibility as a first-place standing. In comparison, Up & Coming Weekly does no pre-ballot advertising sales. After the survey is complete and the ballots are tallied, there is only one winner in each category. At this juncture, winners only are given the opportunity to purchase advertising/marketing programs to thank their customers and supporters and to market and brand their companies, capi- talizing on and taking advantage of their Best of Fayetteville achievement. These Best of Fayetteville advertising programs are unique and significantly discounted so winners can take full marketing advan- tage of the honor. Winners have only one opportunity to participate in these adver- tising programs. In addition to the beauti- ful ($25) wall plaque awarded each Best of Fayetteville winner, they can use the official Best of Fayetteville logo in all print advertising, radio, billboard, TV or social media advertising. The Best of Fayetteville is an exclusive and extremely valuable designation. The way we manage it is what makes this program credible. Is it perfect? No. However, it has developed into one of this community's most respectable and prestigious awards. Now, if this is not enough clarification for you and it is still unclear whether you're participating in Best of Fayetteville Readership Survey or someone else's advertising program, take a good long look at the ballot; if the ballot has names already printed on it, it is NOT the Best of Fayetteville. OK, here's the fun part. Every year, we have a Best of Fayetteville Award Party - and you're invited. Mark your calen- dar for Sept. 19, and join us at the 20th Anniversary Celebration recognizing the 2017 winners. This is their party and what a party it will be. Join us at the Ramada Plaza, when Up & Coming Weekly, Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, the Beasley Media Group and Five Star Entertainment all assist CPA Lee Utley and Jimmy Keefe of the Trophy House in recognizing this community's Best of the Best. Don't miss it. Meet, celebrate and congratulate the people, businesses and organizations that make Fayetteville, Fort Bragg and Cumberland County a great place to work, live and raise a family. Curious? So, is everyone else. It is always fun, excit- ing and a virtual Who's Who. So, join me, Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson, Senator Wesley Meredith, State Representatives Billy Richardson and John Szoka, Cumberland County Chairman Glenn Adams and several hundred of Up & Coming Weekly's very best friends. Be there. And oh yeah, Vote Best of Fayetteville. Click the yellow "Vote Best of Fayetteville" button on our website www. upandcomingweekly.com, or complete and send in the ballot on pages 21 and 22 of this issue of Up & Coming Weekly. Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly. and You Can't Buy This BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomingweekly.com. (910) 391-3859. by BILL BOWMAN You Can't Buy