In a recent conversation with some Andover residents, it became evident that advertising support for The Andover Beacon has been reduced from regional service companies trying to sell their services and by some local Andover businesses.

Following this conversation, I am wondering if regular advertisers in the Beacon understand the consequences of their action. Of course, these are hard times for many of us, and it is always easy to eliminate the support for the weakest link in the chain first.

Cancelling our support, here at the Highland Lake Inn, through advertising in the Beacon would not result in a loss of revenue from one less room night or one less wedding. However, we see supporting the local newspaper as our social responsibility to keep the newspaper alive, even though our business income has been negative since March and will most likely continue in this vein throughout the summer.

Andover residents are lucky to be served by the Beacon crew and to receive all their local information for no cost to readers about decisions made by Town management, its committees, and by the local schools. The Beacon informs us about the development of our property values and the great service our Police and Fire departments are providing us. We understand that many non-business residents expect their local news to be delivered to them for free without ever thinking of supporting the people and the company providing this service for them.

However, we, as business owners, should understand that a local paper like the Beacon cannot be for free.

Let us all try to keep it alive to enable us to communicate with the community about our services and goods we sell to the community.

Let’s keep it alive for the community in which we do business.

Let’s keep it alive to enable us to check on the performance of our Town government.

Let’s keep it alive to learn more about the people we live with.

To the businesses which have cancelled their advertising: if you are able,  please reconsider. Join us, the businesses continuing advertising, in support of the Beacon.

Let us all work harder to avoid becoming another small community without a local paper.
Appreciate what we have – do not risk losing it. Please!

Gail and Pecco Beaufays
Highland Lake Inn