thebatavian

We'll play again tomorrow. A code like the one to the right will be visible under a randomly selected ad that will flip when you mouse over it. 

We've received numerous e-mails just telling us which ads are currently running as flip ads -- Reed Eye and Kreative Kitchen -- but that's not how you play the game.

At an unannounced time, we'll pick an ad at random and turn it into a flip ad and put a secret code like the one in the sample in this post.  

Today, we made it the first person to e-mail us. When I was a kid and radio stations did contests like this they would say a different number caller each time -- the 7th caller, the 8th caller, the 12th caller. We got enough people responding today, that should work for this contest, too, so tomorrow's flip ad will say which number person to e-mail the correct secret code will win.

Happy hunting!

It's still important to us that you join The Batavian Club. As I've said before, every membership is important to us. We appreciate the support. It goes a long way toward helping us meet all the expenses associated with The Batavian (expenses that are growing all the time).

This isn't just about us, however. It's also about you. You receive valuable savings at local businesses at an amount far exceeding the membership cost, and if you enjoy getting your local news from The Batavian, you are helping to sustain that effort.

So many people every day tell me how much they love The Batavian. All we're asking is for those loyal fans to make a small financial contribution to help support and sustain our news coverage and in exchange we'll send you valuable gift certificates that greatly surpass the price of the membership.

NOTE: If you've joined in the past two months (a handful of people have, even without prompting by a post like this), we will send out your membership get with the batch generated by our effort over the next three weeks to invite more people to join. Sorry for the delay, be putting together the kits is a time-intensive process, so we do them in batches).

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year (a recurring annual payment)

Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual membership, one-time payment of $60

Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Reposting the announcement below as a reminder that our contest starts today.

Some of you may have already noticed -- there are a couple of sponsor's ads on the right side of the page that if you mouse over the box, it flips over to reveal a secondary message. 

This is a new concept in online display advertising and locally, it's only available on The Batavian and the Wyoming County Free Press.

To help kick off the introduction of Flip Ads, we're going to run a contest on four days next week (four days between Monday and Friday). Will will randomly pick an ad on the site and make it a Flip Ad, but the secondary message will be a secret code. The code will go up at some unannounced time during the day and stay up until we have a winner. The first person to e-mail me, howard@thebatavian.com, with the correct code, will win $25 cash. (We'll post a reminder Monday morning about the contest.)

After the first week, we'll run the same contest once a week.

Easy to win: mouse over ads and find the Flip Ad with the secret code, like an Easter Egg hunt.

Can you find the two ads running now that are Flip Ads?

Sponsors: Interested in Flip Ads? Contact Lisa Ace, lisa@thebatavian.com, or (585) 250-4118, to sign up.

It's still important to us that you join The Batavian Club. As I've said before, every membership is important to us. We appreciate the support. It goes a long way toward helping us meet all the expenses associated with The Batavian (expenses that are growing all the time).

This isn't just about us, however. It's also about you. You receive valuable savings at local businesses at an amount far exceeding the cost of the membership, and if you enjoy getting your local news from The Batavian, you are helping to sustain that effort.

So many people every day tell me how much they love The Batavian. All we're asking is for those loyal fans to make a small financial contribution to help support and sustain our news coverage and in exchange we'll send you valuable gift certificates worth well above the membership price.

NOTE: If you've joined in the past two months (a handful of people have, even without prompting by a post like this), we will send out your membership kit with the batch generated by our effort over the next three weeks to invite more people to join. (Sorry for the delay, be putting together the kits is a time-intensive process, so we do them in batches.)

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

Annual Single Membership -- $50 per year (a recurring annual payment)

Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual membership, one-time payment of $60

Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

We've not done a post like this in a long time, but with the holidays coming on fast, it is important to remind readers of the importance of shopping locally as often as possible.

When you support the businesses that are owned by people in our local or regional community, you are helping to support your local community. As much of 70 percent of every dollar spent at a local business stays in the local community. That has a ripple effect of benefits locally, from employment to donations to local charities to more spending power for everyone.

At The Batavian, supporting local business and family owned business isn't something we do just once in a while as part of an advertising supplement. It's what we do every day. Our home page is a daily reminder to support local businesses.

Please remember not only to shop locally first, but please also be sure to frequent the sponsors of The Batavian and let them know you appreciate their support of independent local news.

Jagged Edges Salon
Jay E. Potter & Sons
Jim Saraceni - Prime Lending
John's Service Station
Karen's Yarn Paper Scissors
Ken Barrett
KleenAll
Kreative Design Kitchen & Bath
Larry's Steakhouse
L&L Transmission, Inc.
L.C. Mosman
Lamb Family Medicine
Lambert's Design Jewelers
Le Roy Counseling
Le Roy Hearth & Home
Lucky Ducky Daycare
Main St. Pizza Company
Matteo & Mullen, CPA
Max Pies
Millennium Computer
My Saloon
Nature's Best Hydro-Garden Center
Next Level Fitness
O'Lacy's Irish Pub
Oakfield Fitness
Oliver's Candies
Optique
Parmenter Tire, Auto & Truck Services
Pellegrino Auto Sales
Pembroke Family Medicine
Precision Lawn Care
Pudgie's Lawn & Garden
R&D Outlet
RW Vapors
Radley's Auto Detailing
Ray Station Coal & Stoves
Reed Eye Associates
S.C.O.P.E. of Genesee County
Santino's Pizza
Scooter's Restaurant (Le Roy)
Select Collision
Settler's Restaurant
Sloat's Tire
Smokin' Eagle Brew & BBQ
Southside Deli
Spirits
Stella Collision
Sweet Ecstasy Bakery & Bistro
T.F. Brown's
The Finishing Line
The Insurance Center
The Mane Attraction
The Manor House
The Rack Shack
Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel
Trash Away
Turnbull Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
Valle Jewelers
Viking Valhalla/Rose Garden Bowl
Vinyl Sticks
WNY Fireplace Outlet
Watch Your Kitty
West Main Wine & Spirits
Western Regional Off Track
William Kent, Inc.
Woody's Deli
YWCA
Yasses Construction
Yngodess Shop
Yume Asian Bistro

Press release:

In an effort to enhance awareness of critical issues across the Rochester/Finger Lakes Region, WHAM-TV and WUHF-TV announce the formation of a new partnership with The Batavian and Wyoming County Free Press.

13WHAM News, Rochester’s broadcast news ratings leader, is joining forces with the online news sites The Batavian and Wyoming County Free Press to provide enhanced coverage of Genesee and Wyoming County news. The partnership involves an exchange of news content and other informational resources to better serve the needs of families and businesses in those counties.

“The impact of community coverage is best relayed by the professionals who cover these beats every day,” says Matt Malyn, WHAM and WUHF news director. “It is for that reason we are excited to welcome The Batavian and Wyoming County Free Press to the 13WHAM News team.”

"Since the earliest days of The Batavian, we've enjoyed a strong cooperative relationship with the news team at 13WHAM," said Howard Owens, publisher of The Batavian and the Wyoming County Free Press. "We've shared news tips, exchanged leads and cooperated on stories in a way that has helped both news organizations serve their audiences better. The news team at 13WHAM is one of the best in the WNY region. We're excited to join forces in a more formal arrangement to help improve news coverage for the communities we serve."

Malyn added: “Over the years Howard Owens and his team have proven their commitment to the good people of Genesee County and we’re excited to join his recent efforts to expand his news operation into Wyoming County. Those are both communities that the 13WHAM News team has served for more than five decades.”

The Batavian continues to enjoy a solid news partnership with WBTA AM 1490 radio, which it officially joined forces with more than five years ago.

The Batavian was founded by Howard Owens in 2008 as an experimental project for a national news chain and eight months later, Howard and his wife Billie became sole owners of The Batavian. In six years, Howard and Billie have taken the audience of The Batavian from a few hundred daily readers, to between 10,000 and 14,000 daily readers, and 120,000 monthly, making it the most widely read news source in Genesee County.

The Wyoming County Free Press was launched two months ago and its audience continues to grow. Julia Ferrini is the site's editor.

I've boarded a plane in Buffalo. I'm heading to San Diego to attend to family matters. 

Billie will be running the site the next few days. As usual our news partner WBTA will help us with news coverage as will Alecia Kaus from Video News Service. 

I'm most disappointed that I'll miss Batavia and Le Roy play for Section V titles. The pursuit by both teams is a great story. I wish I could be there to tell it. But we have made arrangements for coverage. Good luck to both teams. 

Tune in at 9 a.m. to WBTA-1490 for "Talk of the Town" staring Hiram Kasten and Lucine Kauffman.

I'll be their guest this morning.

The show can also be heard live streamed on WBTAi.com and WBTA's smartphone app.

The New York Press Association has served as a membership organization for community newspapers in the State of New York for 161 years.

Today, The Batavian became the second member in the group's history that publishes news exclusively online.

The first was RiverheadLocal on Long Island.

We're proud to become members of NYPA, which has a distinguished history of serving the needs of news publishers in New York.

Here's a statement from NYPA about our membership:

The New York Press Association is delighted to welcome Howard Owens and The Batavian as our newest online-only member. 

“The Batavian is a highly respected news organization which provides relevant local content to its readers,” said executive director Michelle Rea.“Readers should be able to access quality news content wherever and whenever they choose. Content and relevancy are the key, and The Batavian excels at both.  

"NYPA has a proudly supported New York’s community news organizations for more than 160 years, and as news organizations evolve, so do NYPA’s programs and services. NYPA continues to introduce best practices and new business models for print and digital platforms. We’re thrilled to have The Batavian join the conversation.”

We're pleased this morning to announce the launch of the Wyoming County Free Press, a new sister publication of The Batavian covering Wyoming County.

Just as The Batavian is all about Genesee County, the Wyoming County Free Press will be all about Wyoming County. The news will be Wyoming County news and the businesses who sponsor it will be locally or regionally owned with locations in Wyoming County.

The news will be free, just like it is on The Batavian, and we won't disrupt your news reading experience with pop-up ads, animated ads or require you to answer survey questions. (We'll also respect your privacy by not gathering personal data to distribute to multinational media conglomerates for so-called "targeted advertising.")

We will endeavor to provide wide-ranging coverage of Wyoming County so that people in Wyoming County both have a good idea of what's going on in their community, as well encourage greater community involvement and interest.

We're optimistic about this new venture. The feedback from the people in Wyoming County that we've spoken with so far has been fantastic (look at all of the local businesses that have already agreed to help support our effort).

The feedback has confirmed there is a need in Wyoming County for a news site that covers all of Wyoming County and just Wyoming County. There's no other news service meeting that need.

We're optimistic because we believe six years into The Batavian that our model of news and local business marketing is popular with readers and local business owners. The Batavian has become the most popular news source in the GLOW region and is supported now by more than 150 local businesses.

We're also heartened and encouraged to venture out by the success of Orleans Hub. Tom Rivers has done a terrific job of bringing community news to Orleans County and he and his publishing partner have been rewarded with strong support from the local business community. That helps prove there is a real hunger in all communities for online news that is timely and comprehensive.

Thank you to all the readers and sponsors in Genesee County who have supported us, making it possible to continue to grow as a business. If the Wyoming County Free Press works as well as we anticipate, it will help us do more to serve both communities better.

Please tell your friends about the Wyoming County Free Press and ask them to support our sponsors.

Meet our Wyoming County Editor - Julia Ferrini

Julia is a mother and resident of Eagle in Wyoming County. A native of Western New York, Julia has lived in the area for 16 years since returning from Delaware.

She has worked in a few other fields over the years, but says, "While I dabbled in other career choices, I kept coming back to the one that I just can’t escape, telling the stories of a community through photographs and writing."

Julia can be reached at julia@wyomingcountyfreepress.com.

Thanks to Lucie Ann Griffis for all of her hard work over the past six weeks lining up our initial sponsors for the Wyoming County Free Press. Lucie will continue to traverse Wyoming County, meeting with small business owners, as we work to build the necessary support for the Free Press to be an ongoing success. Lucie can be reached at lucie@thebatavian.com.

Of course, none of this would be possible with the always hardworking and dedicated Lisa Ace, our sales and marketing coordinator. Lisa can be reached at lisa@thebatavian.com.

Our office number is (585) 250-4118.

Visit: the Wyoming County Free Press.

Like us on Facebook.

Sorry for the slow flow of news on our homepage today.  I was not expecting to be tied up in court just about all day for a Frost Ridge hearing (and it's a pretty good bet, based on his comments, that Judge Noonan wasn't expecting it to take as much time as it did).

So there's a story coming on that, and I have at least one other post to write.

Billie and I are celebrating our 21st anniversary today. We'll be away from computers and scanners for a few hours.

We're going to see Nik Wallenda at Darien Lake -- a show I highly recommend (pictures here). We're also going out to dinner.

I've asked a couple of people who would be in a position to know to text me if anything big comes up, but hopefully everything will be nice and quiet for the rest of the day.

This Saturday is Summer in the City. I'll be there for at least some of the event walking around and taking pictures.

I'm going to be looking for people wearing T-shirts that say "The Batavian" on them.

We've sold a couple hundred shirts over the years.

The seventh person I spot wearing their The Batavian T-shirt will get a $100 bill.

Four weeks ago, we put up a request for people to join The Batavian Club and got a good response. We're about to send out a batch of membership kits and want to give you a chance to join before we do.

Reader support is critically important to us. We appreciate your membership.

Membership is important because:

• It provides another avenue to support local businesses (you get more than $300 in gift certificates to local businesses);
• It's a way for The Batavian to reward our loyal readers;
• The financial support helps us sustain our community news coverage of Genesee County.

So many people every day tell me how much they love The Batavian. All we're asking is for those loyal fans to make a small financial contribution to help support and sustain our news coverage and in exchange we'll send you valuable gift certificates that far exceed the price of the membership.

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form; Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

PayPal buttons after the jump:

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual membership, one payment of $60
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual household membership, one payment of $120
Includes two membership cards, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

It's been a while since I've pitched you on joining The Batavian Club, but the Club is still going and we still find financial support from readers extremely important in helping us maintain the business.

Membership is important because:

• It provides another avenue to support local businesses (you get more than $300 in gift certificates to local businesses);
• It's a way for The Batavian to reward our loyal readers;
• The financial support helps us sustain our community news coverage of Genesee County.

So many people every day tell me how much they love The Batavian. All we're asking is for those loyal fans to make a small financial contribution to help support and sustain our news coverage and in exchange we'll send you valuable gift certificates that far exceed the price of the membership.

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

PayPal buttons after the jump:

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual membership, one payment of $60
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual household membership, one payment of $120
Includes two membership cards, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Well, here it is 1:20 a.m. and I have to get up in a couple of hours to head to Rochester to catch a flight to New Jersey.

I'll be at Montclair University to participate in a conference called Innovating the Local News Ecosystem. Specifically, I've been asked to share about how The Batavian has become so successful.

As for coverage: I'm taking some work with me and we have some other stories lined up, and of course, Billie will be here to cover what needs to be covered. There should be a supply of news to keep things interesting over the next two days.

Lisa Ace can help local businesses with any advertising needs, as always. Employers with job openings should call Lucie Ann Griffis. Both can be reached at (585) 250-4118.

Le Roy resident Lucie Ann Griffis has joined The Batavian team to help promote GLOWJobs.net, our new regional employment portal.

Lucie, who is very active and involved in her community, comes to us with a good deal of sales and promotional background.

Employers: Contact Lucie by calling our office at (585) 250-4118. She can help you promote your job openings and explain how the site works. Or you can go directly to GLOWJobs.net and click the button on the left side of the page to get started.

Job Seekers: You can post your resume for FREE on GLOWJobs.net and have it automatically matched to any potential job openings that match your qualifications. You will receive alerts of new possible job openings as they're posted into the network. Look for the job seekers button on the left side of the page.

Howard Owens, publisher and photographer for The Batavian, won a second-place award for photography in the spot news category in a monthly contest sponsored by the National Press Photographers Association.

NPPA sponsors a monthly clip contest in its 11 regions. Genesee County is part of Region 2, which comprises all of New York, the eastern half of Canada and international members based overseas.

Owens won the award for his coverage of the Baskin Livestock fire in November.

The award for Owens was announced last week along with a third-place award in October in sports for Mark Gutman, staff photographer for the Daily News.

In 2013, Owens received a third-place award in March for general news coverage and third place in June for feature/multiple photos.

NPPA awards points throughout the year for photos chosen in first through fifth place (only first through third winners are publicly announced), as well as a single point for each entry.

For the year, Owens was awarded 154 points, good for 15th place in Region 2. Tops was Steven Russell of the The Toronto Star, with 1,132 points.

Gutman had 90 points and Nick Serrata, who freelances for the Daily News, as well as other publications, had 80 points.

Owens, Gutman and Serrata were the only photographers in WNY to place in the top 20.

Most viewed posts for January:

• Jacquetta Simmons sent to jail as defense plans appeal of restitution order
• Today's Poll: Do you hold a favorable or unfavorable view of Gov. Cuomo?
• Truck drivers assist deputy being dragged by suspect's car
• Investigators seek help in identifying woman who may have used stolen gift card
• Up to two feet of snow, dangerously cold air expected Monday and Tuesday
• Travel ban issued for Genesee County
• Child left in car in Batavia Downs' parking lot, by Billie Owens
• Pizza delivery driver says he was robbed at gunpoint on Jackson Street
• Sunoco on West Main robbed, suspect already in custody
• Sheriff tells SCOPE members that SAFE Act enforcement is a matter of officer discretion

In January we topped one million page views in a month for the first time.

Most viewed posts for February:

• Dog found malnourished showing signs of recovery, now in foster care
• Batavia couple were inseparable for 60 years, right to their final days
• Law and Order: Woman accused of mistreating pit bull
• Power out at Walmart, irate customer refuses to leave store, by Billie Owens
• Cat found on Thruway missing its owner
• Party broken up by Local Drug Task Force on Saturday in Le Roy
• Big fight in parking lot of Batavia's Original Pizzeria on East Main Street, by Billie Owens
• Burglary investigation leads to alleged drug stash discovery
• Package of meth allegedly shipped to address in Oakfield, Le Roy man arrested
• Former Marines in Batavia open personal defense training business