Sheri Wiggins – Executive Editor
THE SHOALS – Back in January, 2012 The Quad-Cities Daily officially began publishing. That was the day we started counting “PAGE VIEWS”. When we began this enterprise, we had no idea whatsoever that in this small corner of Alabama, with roughly 80-thousand residents, we would approach even half this number. We cleared a million page views last September 13. Nobody was as surprised as we were! Well, the surprises simply do not stop. As of this moment, The Quad-Cities Daily has just recorded it’s 2-MILLIONTH PAGE VIEW!
Steve Wiggins – Publisher
Evidently, folks in The Shoals were ready for some 21st Century news coverage. Not your 15th Century newspaper; not your 20th Century television. Folks were looking for something else. Evidently we hit on a need that wasn’t being fulfilled. Evidently the local newspaper, which reaches only about 20% of the population, wasn’t cutting it. The Huntsville television stations were not providing enough local coverage. Folks were looking for news of local interest. They were looking for stuff that affects their neighborhoods; mentions their neighbors; shows off the new businesses in their hometowns.
Dave Reasons, Sr. – Photojournalist
When we began this project, most people we encountered didn’t know anything about The Quad-Cities Daily. “Who? – You a new newspaper? – You folks must be from Huntsville, right?” Those were the comments when we first started. Nowadays, 8 out of 10 folks we encounter know who we are! It’s amazing! When we, the Wiggins’, or our cadre’ of beloved photojournalists spread out into the community, we are greeted by so many people who say that they love what we’re doing. They appreciate the coverage we give to stories of local interest; the hundreds of “event photos’ we shoot every month of local activities. And they tell us that they appreciate they way we report on the serious stories that arise in our area. They like that we don’t “sell-out” to the “big guns”, but let the chips fall where they will. We pledge to continue.
Dick Cooper – Photojournalist & Music Editor
We want to thank our wonderful Advertisers! Without your belief in The Quad-Cities Daily we would have simply folded months ago. There are no words to express our gratitude.
Mary Carton – Photojournalist & Features
So, what’s next? Well, we have plans. As our staff grows, we are expanding our coverage subjects. The University of North Alabama is coming into our sights. We now have on-board 2 new correspondents: Lee Troup and Sheenan Gray, both UNA students. You may have noticed some of their new work. Naturally, they will be covering more than just stories from the University. So expect to see them all over The Shoals!
Lee Troup – Photojournalist and UNA Reporter
Our veterans, Dave Reasons, Mary Carton, and Dick Cooper are all hitting their stride with stories of community interest. Stories about our History; Business Leaders; Music. These are the stories that our readers want and it is our pledge to bring lots more to the table!
Sheenan Gray – Photojournalist and UNA Reporter
So “Stay tuned”! There’s lots more to come!
