Mainstreet’s 2023 Community Impact Report 

In our 2022 Community Impact Report, Mainstreet had grown against the grain, most notably going into print at a time when other newspapers were cutting back or shutting print altogether.  

Local journalism in the U.S. continued to experience headwinds in 2023, a trend punctuated locally by the shutdown of the CBS4 newsroom. Sadly, that was the fourth local news closure in the area since 2021. 

Thanks to you, Mainstreet again bucked this trend in 2023, growing across every major metric this year. Among the highlights:  

• Website pageviews tripled (comparison: Q4 2022 to Q4 2023) 
• Newsletter subscribers more than doubled year-over-year 
• More than 100 local businesses and organizations purchased advertising in 2023 

You tell us every day that our work is making a difference, which inspires us forward. We remain focused on local news so you can stay safe, cast informed votes, and be a better neighbor in Alachua County.  

Thank you for your support.  

J.C. Derrick 
Publisher 
 

Staffing up 

The year began with Mainstreet onboarding a new distribution company, which significantly improved our print delivery service.  

In February, we also added Lisa Wiggs as a local media adviser to help us build more relationships with businesses and organizations in the community. Lisa brought with her 31 years of sales experience with another local media company.  

In the early summer, we hired Glory Reitz, who became our (busy!) education reporter and also assumed the role of publication coordinator for our weekly print edition.  

Later in the summer, our part-time administrative assistant, Olivia Hanna, came on board full time and took on a variety of roles. Most notably, she writes our twice-a-month stories on the local food scene and serves as member ambassador for our new membership program.  

Highlights 

• Throughout the year, Mainstreet added soccer, track and field, and golf to our Bosshardt Realty All Area sports lineup.  
• In March, we debuted a new e-edition of our weekly newspaper—made possible by sponsor Santa Fe College.  
• In May, we launched a custom-built jobs board to aid both local employers and those seeking employment.  
• On June 7, we published our first print special section on hurricane preparedness. 
• In July, Google launched its News Showcase product with Mainstreet as a founding partner.  
• In July, we debuted a new series on the local food scene—which quickly became some of Mainstreet’s most popular content and was later sponsored by Mi Apá and Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille. 

• Also in July, Mainstreet won two awards in the state newspaper contest and publisher J.C. Derrick was elected to the Florida Press Association board during the Florida Media Conference in Sarasota. 
• In August, we printed our first high school football special section. 
• In December, we launched our all-new membership program, the start of a community-building effort Mainstreet will continue for years to come. 
• In December, we unveiled a new partnership with the Florida Press Foundation making possible tax-deductible gifts to support Mainstreet’s work.  
• Also in December, the New York Times recognized a Mainstreet story as one of the top local news stories in the country for 2023.  

Stories 

• For the second straight year, Mainstreet published more than 1,200 original, bylined local news stories—averaging more than 100 per month. These stories ranged from local sports and outdoors reporting to local government, business and nonprofit news and features. 
• Mainstreet also published many breaking news stories. Among the highlights: Mainstreet was the first to report that Gov. Ron DeSantis had signed the GRU bill. 
• Click here to see Mainstreet’s top 10 news stories of the year.  
• Click here to see Mainstreet’s top 10 feature stories of the year.  
• Click here to see Mainstreet’s top sports news of the year.   

What they are saying 

“As much of the nation experiences loss of local journalism, our community is lucky to be able to count on straightforward, robust and unbiased reporting from Mainstreet Daily News.”  

—Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward 

“Mainstreet Daily News does an excellent job showcasing our local community nonprofit resources. Just recently, Mainstreet covered a story about AMIKIDS Gainesville which resulted in unsolicited financial donations.” 

—Chairwoman Ashley Bryant, AMIKIDS Gainesville 

“My decision to become a member was easy as your publication is valuable to our community. I look forward every Wednesday to pick up my edition of Mainstreet and catch up on all that’s happening in our area. In depth high school sports, and timely articles that impact our citizens in the City of Alachua.” 

—Edward R. Potts, Alachua City Commissioner 

“Seth Johnson’s story on American kestrel conservation efforts was excellent, and Alachua Audobon so appreciates your coverage of this important project. We were quickly contacted by two interested landowners regarding kestrels on their property, so we know it reached an interested audience.” 

—Debbie Segal, Alachua Audubon Society President 

Looking ahead 

With another strong year behind us, Mainstreet anticipates additional growth in 2024. We are in discussions with multiple community partners to expand on various fronts in the new year, so be on the lookout for more announcements.  

None of this growth would be possible without strong community support. If you would like to join the growing number of your neighbors who help make independent local news a reality in Gainesville, please become a member today.