At TheBurg, we have monthly planning meetings, and someone always remarks, “I can’t believe it’s (insert month here) already!”
Well, I can’t believe it’s insert month here—I mean, December—already!
Indeed, another year has breezed on by. It seems like only yesterday, we were planning out our 2023 fitness issue, our food issue, our arts issue, etc. That’s how we mark the passage of time here.
December is a month of reflection, of looking back at the year and assessing what might be ahead.
In general, we’re very pleased with how the year unfolded at TheBurg.
As I’ve mentioned before in this space, we began the year with a new partnership team consisting of three long-time staff members and, later in the year, hired a new sales executive. We upped our social media game and took steps to inject new life into 3rd in the Burg.
In addition, for the third straight year, TheBurg was named News Organization of the Year by the PA NewsMedia Association, which also awarded us 24 individual and group Keystone press awards.
Throughout the year, our Friends of TheBurg membership program continued to grow, exceeding 550 members over the four-year course of the program. Thank you so much for all your support!
In connection with Friends of TheBurg, we held two events this past year. In June, we ventured up the river to the Winery at Hunters Valley for a warm, sunny afternoon of picnicking. Then, in September, we held our big (now annual) Burg Bash, packing the King Mansion with 150 or so of our closest friends.
And, yes, we also produced some high-quality journalism, which happens to be our day job. I’m especially proud of our coverage of the Broad Street Market fire and of the issue of homelessness, stories that we published both as daily online news and as magazine features.
At TheBurg, we perceive our mission broadly—to represent the greater Harrisburg area as best we can. As anyone who’s visited our office can attest, we are a very small operation. But we believe we punch far above our weight, deploying our limited resources for maximum impact.
What will 2024 hold? Well, that will have to wait for another column. Like everyone else, right now, we’re busy “wrapping up” the year with some good cheer and maybe a few rare days off. Happy holidays, everyone!
Lawrance Binda
Publisher/Editor
Click here to read the digital version of our December issue.
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
