In winnipeg, there are four community newspapers: The Lance, Metro, Times and Herald, which are all put out by Canadian Publishers.

Having just moved from one community to another, I now receive the Lance instead of the Metro. Although one would never have noticed the difference since most of the articles are of broad interest and not targetted towards the specific communities.

However, I do enjoy thumbing through the paper on a weekly basis to read up on local news and upcoming community events. When time permits, which is not often, I do read the paper again from front to back.

Working in the advertising industry, I naturally look at the ads in the newspaper – basically to see what kind of advertisers are advertising in this medium, compared with outdoor.

I believe the ratio of ads, compared with written articles, is too high in these community newspapers. Sure, it is great to see some advertised specials, but too much can overload a buyer’s decision-making.

Coupons and ads that are of any value should be worth the effort of the potential buyer. For example, a $5 savings on $100 of purchased goods certainly will not have me running out to this store.

It also seems advertisers have the habit of using the words ‘free’ and ‘sale’ whenever they run an ad. This I find extremely annoying because these words have been so abused in recent years. Ads do not necessarily have to jump out at a reader to get their attention.

Overall, the quality of community newspapers is fair, but improvements can be made to increase their credibility.

Phoebe Bosc, 27, is client services manager at Mediacom in Winnipeg.