Jay Lucas
Sunshine Initiative
This week we are delighted to highlight a welcome addition to our team — Christopher Frost, a community journalist who recently joined the Eagle Times in Claremont, NH. A native of Freeport, NY, Chris came to Claremont from Oxnard, CA, where he most recently served as the publisher of the Tri-County Sentry. During his six years there, the paper’s circulation grew from under 500 to nearly 7,000.
Throughout his career in community journalism, Chris has achieved similar success, having worked in nine other local media markets across the country. The secret to his success? Engaging with the community.
Chris joined the Eagle Times in mid-July, and since then, has become a familiar and visible presence in the community. He has been covering events that had long been forgotten or dismissed as unimportant by prior media practices and standards. Additionally, he reports on essential governmental and other meetings, ensuring that citizens are well-informed about the activities of their public officials.
The results of his efforts have been remarkable. Chris, in collaboration with his new and talented colleagues, has significantly increased the amount of local content published in the Eagle Times. They have also successfully reconnected the paper with segments of the community that were abandoned long ago.
When he attends a community event, Chris watches, listens, and asks questions. He often surprises community members who are not accustomed to seeing anyone from the paper. He frequently tells them to please get used to seeing his face around town because, as long as he’s part of the community, they will continue to see him.
From stories covering driveway permits at the zoning board to local dance classes and stories about lawsuits between towns and developers, Chris Frost understands that each of these topics is important in its own way to the community, and he ensures that the community is well-informed about them. He grasps the essence of community journalism and how it can create new pathways for bringing people together along with new ideas.
We are delighted and enriched to have such an experienced and talented journalist such as Chris to be taking an intensely active role in our newspaper as well as our community. Thank you, Chris, for your great sense of curiosity and your dedication to the profession of community journalism!
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.