OF LOCAL INTEREST, by David Margolis, President Syndicated Ad Features

Whether your interest in news and current events involves what's going on in Washington D.C., the rain forests of the Amazon Basin, or Lindsey Lohan's head, there are a number of information sources to which you can turn. On the other hand, when you want to know what is going on in your own neighborhood and the surrounding community, your best source of credible information is always the local newspaper. This is why there are so many devoted readers of local weeklies in virtually every corner of this country. 

People want to read about things that are relevant to them - including local politics, who died and who is in the police blotter summary. What's the elementary school lunch? What road is being repaved? Who has what to say in the editorial column? How did the high school team do? What local person distinguished him or herself in a noteworthy way, etc.? Thus, when Syndicated Ad Features positions its clients as fixtures in their local newspapers, their weekly column gets read by people who matter- local consumers.