Just a baby at 3, The Lebanon Voice rolls on

Lebanon Voice President Martha T. Soto-Galicia and editor Harrison Thorp

It was three years ago today that The Lebanon Voice was launched on a drag and drop website that required almost as much time to place an article as it took to write it.

Most people don't know it, but if it weren't for my longtime partner, Martha T. Soto-Galicia, the online newspaper would never have seen the light of day, or even a computer screen for that matter.

After spending most of her life near big cities like Chicago or Miami, she fumed incessantly that the local newspapers and TV stations we saw never had news about Lebanon, just other places she didn't care about.

Meanwhile, I'd been toying for several years with starting a hyperlocal, a new concept in journalism in which the fundamental tenet is local, local and more local.

I'd spent 30 years in journalism. I'd assigned thousands of stories, edited thousands of stories and received numerous awards for enterprise and investigative work. Newspapers under my direction were voted best in New Hampshire and second-best in all of New England.

So, we jumped into the pool.

Three years later we have 19,000 unique visitors a month to The Lebanon Voice.

We started out just covering Lebanon, but now cover Milton and Rochester as well.

Our first advertiser three years ago was Roger Tessier, a Lebanon electrician who moved south last year. He called me up on the phone and asked if he could get an ad. I said sure. He asked how much and (I had to think fast) I said $40 a month. Shockingly to me at the time, he said, OK. Thank you, Roger, for having faith in The Lebanon Voice early on.

We now have more than 30 advertisers throughout the region, including big corporate types, like Metrocast, Spence and Mathews Insurance and the Rochester Opera House; and small businesses, like Chestnut Hill Chimney and Hearth, and Wans Wood Werks

A media buyer called The Lebanon Voice several weeks ago and was astonished with the numbers we are getting.

"Why do you call yourself 'The Lebanon Voice' when you have so many Rochester stories.

"Because it's 'The Lebanon Voice,' I replied.

"Don't you know you'd get a lot more ads if you called yourself 'The Rochester Voice?' she said.

Well, she may be right, but then, it wouldn't be The Lebanon Voice anymore, would it?

Oh, by the way, if you see this writer on the streets today in Lebanon or Milton or Rochester, say 'Happy Birthday' to The Voice, and to him, as well. It's his birthday, too!

The first one to do so gets a Lebanon Voice coffee mug. We like to give out gifts on our birthday.

That's how we roll, off the press, that is.