It’s been a BIG year at What’s Up Newp.
For the second year in a row we were names Best Local News Blog – Statewide by RI Monthly readers, we helped keep you informed during the Gas Outage earlier this year, we broke news, we were the first to announce when many businesses were opening, moving, and/or closing, and we did our part to keep you informed on a daily basis on what was happening at City Hall, the State House, and in your neighborhood.
When we look at website growth, What’s Up Newp has seen a 71% increase in website traffic year-over-year, have seen What’s Up Rhode Island Grow by more than 700%, and now have more than ten regular contributors pitching in on our websites.
We’ve also relaunched What’s Up Stowe – a great resource for Stowe, Vermont.
We are filling a news void in all of our destinations, and especially in Newport County. In 2019, What’s Up Newp published 2,865 stories in 365 days, or an average of 7.8 stories a day — we publish 24/7 and have never been known to take a holiday or Sunday off. We are local, independent, your neighbors, active members of this community, and are here for you.
Healthy communities are informed communities. What’s Up Newp has helped an average of 50,000 readers a month better understand what’s happening, new, and to do in Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island, and beyond.
None of this would have been possible without the support of our amazing advertisers and our loyal supporters/members. We are so grateful to the more than 1,000 people who have contributed over the last year to support What’s Up Newp. There is strength in numbers.
What’s Up Newp recently launched a crowd funding option to support our continued growth of our news and information coverage across Newport County.
After seven years, we have a major coverage expansion in the works for What’s Up Newp. We plan to increase the number of original news articles published daily by our WUN crew by 50 percent in early 2020, with more coverage of local issues, city government, education, and of course, much more on the topics and things our readers care most about in and around Newport County.
To support this expansion, we’re asking our loyal readers to become What’s Up Newp supporters.
If you stepped up to become a supporter or member last year, I hope that you will choose to do so again. If you haven’t become a supporter, please consider investing in What’s Up Newp as a way of ensuring quality community, news, and information for all in the coming year.
The What’s Up Newp website (actually all of our websites) will always remain free; we believe free access to local news and information that keeps you in the know of what’s happening, new, and to do in your community is essential to democracy.
But we hope that many of our readers will sign up to contribute a few dollars a month – the price of a cup of coffee, or even better a large latte – to support local and independent journalism.
What’s Up Newp has partnered with PressPatron, an innovative startup company, to make contributing easy. PressPatron’s crowd funding technology has helped a number of new online publications in Australia and New Zealand, and is now being used in the United States.
Just click the red “Become a Supporter” button on any article to make a secure contribution with your credit card. You can specify a monthly amount, or a one-time contribution. You can optionally create a password to manage or (hopefully not) end your contribution.
Newport County is brimming with news, especially as we head towards the 2020 election. Most local media barely scratches the surface. Your contribution to What’s up Newp will help us in our mission to accurately, comprehensively and fairly cover the essential local news.
Thank you for your support of What’s Up Newp, wishing you the best in the year ahead;
Ryan Belmore | Owner, What’s Up Newp