There are so many ways to get news and information these days – the more traditional methods like radio, television and print media often take a back seat to the ubiquitous screen.
When the COVID pandemic shut down Faicia Elliott’s radio advertising job, she hatched a plan to get a real newspaper in the hands of young people.
And that’s how The Blast got its start. Today, the newspaper is published monthly and is distributed free for the community to enjoy.
“Kids are on electronics for everything,” Elliott said on Monday’s TownTalk. “My vision was to have them to be able to have something tangible in their hands and to promote literacy.”
Fourth graders in Vance County Schools get copies each month, and Granville County Public Schools and Person have been added to the list, too.
It’s a one-person effort, with Elliott choosing the content, selling the ads and even distributing the 3,700 copies each month.
Printing is done at the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford print shop, a point of pride for Elliott because she likes to shop local.
The Blast began as a for-profit enterprise, and after a few years, Elliott said it became a nonprofit – which means she can apply for grants. She also has advertising clients, some of which have been clients since the paper’s inception.
“It’s working, or they would not keep paying for it,” Elliott said.
As for the newspaper’s content, Elliott said she likes to include word games and other activities that get the whole family involved.
“It is important to me to promote literacy and family togetherness,” she said. “It’s a really fun paper.”
King Features Syndicate provides all kinds of content for the “big” papers, but they also provide content for The Blast. “I called them and said this is what we do, could you give me some content,” Elliott recalled, “and they gave me some puzzles for minimal (amount) compared to what the big papers pay.”
The newspaper contains nothing political, Elliott said, and it’s not pushing any agendas.
Readers of the current issue will learn, however, that Today, Monday, Dec. 15 is National Cupcake Day. The monthly calendar noting those special, silly days is a staple of The Blast.
She also includes local activities on a town calendar. This month includes dates for Christmas parades, for example, but she also likes to include what’s going on at the libraries and with the different recreation departments.
Another staple – and a favorite of Elliott’s – is the fishing page. Everybody can fish, she said, and there are so many fishing tournaments that take place locally, she wanted to include a page devoted to the sport and to learn more about fish.
That’s where the fish facts come into play. “I like that page because it’s fun to find those facts,” she said. Add that to her list of responsibilities. Fish Fact Finder.
As a nonprofit, Elliott has a board to help manage and oversee the organization, but the day-to-day falls to her. “I am it,” she said, “and it is not easy, but it’s important to me.”
And it’s important to her that the young people have access to information that they enjoy and have fun with. That’s how the paper got its name, in fact. “We wanted the kids to have a blast.”
Find TheNCBlast on Facebook, use ncblastsales@gmail.com or pick up the phone and call 919.482.9335 to learn more.
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