Regional Newspapers Challenging Regional Revitalization (2) Family Stories

~Regional Newspapers Are Now Challenging New Initiatives, Leveraging Their Bonds with Readers as Assets~
Today, regional newspapers are leveraging their strong local networks to create new businesses and undertake initiatives that significantly contribute to regional revitalization. Each company is breaking traditional boundaries, continuously generating successful cases in new fields that lead to regional revitalization. This column, "Regional Newspapers Challenging Regional Revitalization," will feature unique examples from these efforts over six consecutive weeks!

In 2013, Shinano Mainichi Shimbun launched "Family Stories" as part of its 140th anniversary celebrations. The project, which ran a second installment the following year, gathered the sentiments of local residents, aiming to evoke empathy not only through print but also via video and music. It was a series of new challenges, prompting readers to remark, "Did Shinmai go this far?"

On the anniversary issue of July 5, 2013, a double-page spread announced a call for family-related stories. Starting the next day, a small one-character ad ran consecutively for 130 days. On November 17, "Family Day," a special insert was published featuring reader submissions and a 1918-frame flipbook comic created exclusively by Nagano-born comedian Tekken. It also revealed a message formed by connecting the characters from the 130 days of small ads. Furthermore, it filmed Tekken's entire 1918-frame flipbook being printed on a newspaper press and released the video on YouTube. Within three months, it garnered over 660,000 views from both Japan and abroad. This led to awards at international advertising festivals like AdFest and selection as a "Jury Recommended Work" at the Japan Media Arts Festival.

For the second installment, "Family Stories 2014," launched at the end of 2014, lyrics were created from "cheerful last words" submitted by elderly readers, and a song was produced. The lyrics were published in the paper and on the newspaper's website, with a music video released on YouTube. The song is available for purchase on iTunes. "Nagano Prefecture has the highest life expectancy in Japan and is the birthplace of the phrase 'pinpin korori' (live vigorously until the end). We wanted to share the message of Shinshu's energetic grandfathers and grandmothers, who live brightly and joyfully until the end, with the whole country. Newspapers are a medium read by families. We chose to run the project during New Year's, when families gather," said Mr. Muramatsu.

The project generated significant response as intended, and by late January, reader reactions were featured in a double-page spread. "This is a project only possible for a local paper, made possible by its readers," said Mr. Muramatsu. "Extending these strong connections to younger generations is also a challenge. While we're feeling our way in some areas, we want to pursue this beyond just the print edition," he added, already considering a third installment.