The Pee Dee Post ceases operation

Staff report

ROCKINGHAM — The Pee Dee Post has ceased operations as a daily digital newspaper effective immediately.

Kevin Spradlin, owner and managing editor, said Saturday that revenue in recent months had not been sufficient to support growth in the only locally owned news outlet.

PDP_Logo_2“This is not an easy decision, but in order to keep up with demand, PeeDeePost.com’s paid staff needed to grow,” Spradlin said. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t make that happen over a period of months and the status quo didn’t allow the PDP to accomplish its goals or fulfill its mission.”

Spradlin said the PDP will not return as a daily digital newspaper, though it’s possible its focus is converted into an information source of a different type within the next few months.

As a reader or advertiser, here’s what you need to know:

Advertisers

Without a doubt, this project couldn’t have been possible for the past 14 months without loyal businesses owners, almost all of whom were local and understood the power of a vehicle able to help get the word out about products and services — at affordable rates.

“I’m so grateful, and humbled, by what we had,” Spradlin said.

Advertisers with ongoing agreements will be charged through Friday, July 10. There are only a few who have paid in advance of that date and those clients will receive full refunds of those prorated fees from July 11 forward. Those refunds will be mailed as quickly as possible.

If business owners have questions about the status of their account, they should send an email to peedeepost@gmail.com.

Sales staff

Ad sales leader Pam Dillman, of Rockingham, along with a stable of others over the past 14 months — including Patti Jenkins, Sharon Nichols, Sharlyn Elmore — teamed up with graphic designers Elmore, Sarah Ferguson and Stephanie Spradlin to form a wonderful 1-2 punch.

“The problem in this category is simple,” Spradlin said. “I simply couldn’t find a sufficient number of reliable, hard-working sales professionals available to work at the same time. All too often, we left money on the table — and that’s bad for business. But for the efforts of Pam and everyone else, I’ll be forever thankful for their dedication and hard work. I’ve learned a lot from each of them.”

Contributors

Beginning in October 2014 and ramped up in February, the PDP touted its reader-supported platform. In only two weeks’ time, the drive collected more than $3,000 — helping to keep the PDP up and running for a little longer. In the end, it wasn’t enough — but it was a much-appreciated effort.

“From the person who anonymously contributed $5 whenever he popped into the office, to the readers who gave more than their fare share, and to the business owners who stepped up far beyond what their ad agreement called for, well, I’m not sure what to say,” Spradlin said, “except that I am grateful for everyone’s support beyond measure. I did my best to keep the PDP going, but it’s clear my best wasn’t good enough.”

Scholarship recipients

The PeeDeePost.com Community Scholarships will be paid as promised. Jarod Ricks, Nile Fisher, Derek Wilderman and Breanna McKinnon are bright young individuals and tomorrow’s leaders. The PDP is glad to play a role, no matter how small, in helping them achieve their goals.

Readers

“It’s been a pleasure serving you. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be invited into your homes, onto your ball fields and into your classrooms and offices in order to photograph and tell your stories. It’s been an adventure.”

Photo archives

The PDP camera has captured well over 110,000 photographs since the website launched on April 28, 2014. The direct link to the photo galleries is accessible by clicking here. There, photos are arranged by assignment in separate folders, or galleries — Ellerbe July 4th Jamboree, Richmond Senior High School graduation and so on.

Photos will remain available to purchase until at least Sept. 30, 2015.

Story / obituary archives

News reports and obituaries should remain accessible through March 31, 2016. Stories are able to be found by visiting the PeeDeePost.com home page and typing in keywords relevant to your search in the search box in the top right corner.

My family

“Oh, what they have sacrificed,” Spradlin reminisced quietly. “For their patience and unwavering support … it’s time to do something that gives me a little more time at home. Some weeks I logged more than 100 hours at the office, and in the past 14 months I feel as though I’ve worked four to five years.”

Questions?

The best way to get a direct answer is to send an email. Commenting on this story in the “comment section” or posting something on Facebook is not guaranteed to receive a timely response. At this point, there are many moving parts that need to be addressed by the end of the month and moderating comments on social media or at the bottom of stories isn’t at the top of the priority list.

“Thank you for being as understanding as possible on that last point,” Spradlin said. “It’s important that proper time management skills be used to clean things up over the next couple of weeks.”

Filed in: Latest Headlines

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  • YiaYia

    Sorry to hear this but am thankful for your contributions to the community…

  • Sandra Allen Elliott

    Also sorry to hear this. You have shared news in a more timely fashion. Thanks for all your hard work.

  • Bonnie Campbell

    So sorry Kevin. Really enjoyed reading what you posted. Thank you for caring enough to be anywhere and everywhere for all the news.GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

  • JerryLindstrand

    Kevin, I sooo appreciate your support of the local running community including the HL24UC. Your dedication to your work is unsurpassed and will be greatly missed. I look forward to many more runs with you I the future. Take care my friend and good luck in your future endeavors!

  • Hank

    How about shutting off your server?

  • Hank

    When your done then be done. I’m tired of checking to see if you started back up. Just do us all a favor and close out this site.

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