The Estevan Mercury continued to be the hub for information in the city in 2020.
The newspaper’s website, www.estevanmercury.ca, was a popular destination for community members looking to keep up to date on news and sports in the region.
The website had 2,703,095 page views in 2020, which works out to about 225,000 views per month or nearly 7,400 views per day. The total number of page views is an increase of 401,194 from the 2,301,901 who visited Mercury’s website in 2019.
The busiest month was October, when there were 282,014 page views.
It’s another example of Mercury’s commitment to providing the region with a top-notch product through both its print edition and its website.
“The Estevan Mercury has been a staple in the community since 1903,” said Mercury publisher and sales manager Deanna Tarnes. “Our goal has been, and always will be, to report the fact-based local news, tell the stories of our communities and archive our history.
“Every week we print and distribute 6,500 copies of our print edition free of charge. Every day estevanmercury.ca is the place people go for the news as it happens.”
The Mercury’s website is updated numerous times each day, including weekends, with stories from the city and region. The website is often updated several times during the evening as well, ensuring that articles are uploaded throughout the day.
People can also find provincial, national and international news and sports on the site through stories from the Canadian Press and Associated Press.
Digital copies of the Mercury can be found online for those who live outside of the Estevan area, and the obituaries that run in the Mercury each week are also found online.
A growing number of businesses regard the Mercury’s website as a place to advertise due to the number of web visitors.
“Our audience is engaged, trusting and wants to see ads to find out what is going on in the community,” said Tarnes.
Also on the website, you’ll find information and opportunities to enter and participate in promotions and contests that appear in the paper, and photo albums that show not only what is happening in the community, but some of the promotions in print.
The Mercury’s print edition remains the company’s bread and butter. It had a very successful year, too, winning two awards from the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association, one for best weekly newspaper in its class (2,000-6,500 circulation) and the other for having the best front page in its class.
The Mercury and Southeast Lifestyles were rolled into one publication in April, and readers and advertisers have responded very favourably to the change, with the region’s two trusted sources for information rolled into one.
The staff at the Mercury is constantly tweaking the product. Readers can look forward to a new-look front page and some other changes that will be happening throughout the year.
“Watch for new contests this year and new features,” said Tarnes.
David Willberg, the Mercury’s editor, said the success reflects a team effort from the tight-knit staff at the Mercury, and the trust that the community has placed in the paper.
“One of our biggest objectives is to get it first, get it right and get it better than anyone else. That’s what you, our readers, deserve from us, and it’s what you should expect from us.”
A lot of time goes into creating a quality product each week, and Willberg hopes the community appreciates their efforts.
Tarnes looks forward to continuing to serve the community over the next 12 months.
“Thank you for making the estevanmercury.ca and Estevan Mercury your choice for your news and entertainment. We look forward to keeping you informed in 2021!”
If you have a story idea, email it to editor@estevanmercury.ca.
