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Route 3 takes gold at community newspaper awards

A Black Press publication has taken gold at the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspapers Association’s 2011 Ma Murray Community Newspaper Awards.
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Route 3

A Black Press publication has taken gold at the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspapers Association’s 2011 Ma Murray Community Newspaper Awards.

Route 3 magazine beat out Sunshine Coast Life and Gulf Islander 2010 Visitors’ Guide in the special publications award under 25,000 circulation category, with judges lauding the magazine’s layout, use of photos and consistent graphical elements amongst other things.

They also said Route 3 had a wide variety of locally focused articles that were written well and that “hit the mark in terms of balance, interest and attractiveness to both reader and advertiser.”

“I’m thrilled,” says Chris Hammett, the magazine’s account manager, who attended the April 30 awards ceremony on behalf of Route 3.

“It was hard work and something you strive for and you work towards and to get that recognition from your peers and the community that our product stands out is really everything anybody in the business could ever hope for.”

Shelley Ackerman, Route 3’s editor and art director, and Route 3 publisher Chuck Bennett echo Hammett’s sentiments.

“I’m very pleased that Route 3 has been recognized for its quality. I think we put out a really great little magazine here, and it’s wonderful to see that those in the know think so too,” Ackerman says.

“Chris and Shelley should both be very proud of this award,” says Bennett.

“They have worked very hard and very diligently to make Route 3 the wonderful magazine that it is. We are proud of them, and this award, and I just want to congratulate them on what is very deserving recognition.”

As Hammett and Ackerman explain, the quarterly regional lifestyle magazine depicts life in the West Kootenay and Boundary.

“Each issue is different: it focuses on different people, arts, a different home and much more,” Hammett says.

“It doesn’t expire because you learn something new every time you read it and so the product has turned out to be a great crossover product.

“It was intended for the locals in the region and we found that it’s become a good crossover vehicle with people traveling through the region wanting to pick them up and learn about our market and area.”

“There is no shortage of excellent stories in this region — there are so many people doing really cool things,” explains Ackerman.

“For each issue, the stories are written by several different writers and the photos taken by several different photographers.”

Several Nelson area writers and photographers consistently contribute to Route 3, including Nelson Star reporter Greg Nesteroff.

The Route 3 staff would like to thank the community for standing behind the publication and the enormous support it has given the publication since its inception — they also thank the contributors and photographers because they played a part in the success as well.

Approximately 50 per cent of Route 3s are distributed through the Nelson Star, Grand Forks Gazette, Trail Daily Times and Castlegar News, with the balance available at street level throughout the West Kootenay/Boundary.

Nelson Star editor Bob Hall also attended the awards at Richmond’s River Rock Casino where he was nominated for BC Arts Council Arts and Culture Writing Award for his coverage of last year’s Capitol Theatre pantomime production. Hall took home the bronze in the category won by the Vancouver Courier.

The awards are named after Margaret “Ma” Murray, the province’s first female newspaper publisher, and are awarded for excellence in all aspects of the newspaper industry.



Karl Yu

About the Author: Karl Yu

After interning at Vancouver Metro free daily newspaper, I joined Black Press in 2010.
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