Community Watch’s “two newspaper checks” have increased by 200 percent and some believe it’s because unwanted copies of The Villages Daly Sun are piling up in driveways at homes in The Villages.
Chief Nehemiah Wolfe said patrol drivers are instructed to keep a close eye on the number of newspapers in the driveway as a sign that something might be wrong. Community Watch’s two-newspapers-in-the-driveway protocol includes knocking on the resident’s door, reaching out to neighbors and having a dispatcher call the “Daily Sun to see if their subscription is active and obtain any additional contact information.” The dispatcher will reach out to any additional contacts provided by the Daily Sun. In addition, the dispatcher will call the four local hospitals to see if the homeowner has been admitted.
Residents have voiced their concern that an increasing number of copies of the Daily Sun are being delivered at homes where the homeowners are not subscribers and in some cases are unaware the newspaper is being delivered.
Village of Piedmont resident Karen O’Farrell previously told the Amenity Authority Committee that she fears the Daily Sun’s free newspaper promotion is fueling the rise in checks by Community Watch.
She said she has noticed free copies of the Daily Sun being delivered at homes in her neighborhood. Some of the homeowners were away, so it prompted O’Farrell to call the Daily Sun. O’Farrell said she tried to explain to the Daily Sun that throwing newspapers in the driveways of absent homeowners is a safety issue.
“These people are away and aren’t even aware newspapers are being left at their homes,” she told members of the AAC.
O’Farrell said she called the Daily Sun and she was told that the “free” newspapers are being paid for by one of their advertisers and are therefore considered a paid delivery product. Sponsorship is a newspaper industry gimmick in which a major advertising is sold on the idea paying for the newspapers’ delivery. Many times the sponsorship includes a colorful delivery bag in which the newspaper arrives. Newspapers benefit from the revenue and it’s an opportunity to prop up sagging circulation numbers.
The AAC and Project Wide Advisory Committee are going into budget season and many residents are concerned about the many millions of dollars in amenity fees used to pay for Community Watch.
While the “two newspaper checks” are up by 200 percent over the past three years, other Community Watch service needs are increasing, but not nearly as much.
• Adult Watch calls have increased by 14.5 percent
• Garage door checks have increased by 54 percent
• House checks have increased by 21.2 percent
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