Readers have given the team at Bundaberg Now a fantastic Easter present with a record number of video views and impressive website figures for the month of March.
Between March 1 and 31 videos on the Bundaberg Now Facebook page were viewed 110,312 times.
Bundaberg Now posts a Nightly News video every weeknight at 6 pm, a concept which was introduced in July 2020 and has clearly been welcomed by followers.
One of those videos featured Avoca State School and the Bundaberg Amateur Radio Club when they made contact with the International Space Station.
The school’s principal Michael Kiss expressed his gratitude to Bundaberg Now for the “promotional and celebratory service provided for this event”.
“Bundaberg Now was one of the premier media groups to cover the story and they left no stone unturned to report the event in all of its glory,” Mr Kiss said.
“This event was a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for some children to reach for the stars and dream of magnificent futures!
“Bundaberg Now created a wonderful visual story of the event which featured footage from the night including the point of radio contact and interviews with participants.”
March 2021 was also one of our website’s biggest months ever, with 98,911 visitors and 224,055 page views.
The Bundaberg Now Facebook page has more than 30,000 followers, making it one of the biggest for community news and information in the region.
The president of Tennis Bundaberg, Geoff Strube, appreciates the support his organisation has received from Bundaberg Now.
“Tennis Bundaberg had great stories to tell the people of Bundaberg but no voice,” he said.
“That's where the talented writers and editors at Bundaberg Now were able to help.
“When they heard we had some of the oldest clay courts in Queensland, where legends like Rod Laver honed their skills, and we wanted to launch a brand-new game called Pickleball, they told us they love good news stories.
“With a little bit of cleverness, they took our message and turned it into an internet sensation.”
Another new initiative implemented in February this year is Bundaberg Now’s Daily Digest which continues to have a high level of engagement, with some readers thanking the team for the more frequent newsletter.
“Keep up the great work on the Bundaberg Now newsletter,” Dionne from G’Day Farm wrote.
“I always take the time to review them.”
Bundaberg Regional Council’s chief executive Steve Johnston said Bundaberg Now provides an important service for community groups to stay connected and share their stories.
“Community surveys consistently tell us that residents want effective communications,” he said.
“Bundaberg Now has brought together all the news that Council has to share under a single brand and Council has shared the platform with local community groups, businesses and other organisations.
“The stats speak for themselves.”
Mr Johnston said Council had saved ratepayers money by consolidating communications in a single department and stopping print media advertising as a result of State Government regulatory changes.
I like this. Keep up the good work. Thank you, Colleen.