Reminder Publications receives national recognition
Date: 5/18/2010
May 19, 2010.By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
EAST LONGMEADOW -- Out of more than 2,000 entries, the newspaper serving East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Hampden and Wilbraham produced by Reminder Publications Inc. has been named one of the best community newspapers of 2010 by the Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP).
Founded in 1951, AFCP is a national trade organization for free communities newspapers ranging from shoppers to community newsweeklies to alternative newsweeklies.
The "outstanding publication for home delivered papers with more than 25 percent news, editorial and features" award was announced last month at the AFCP convention in Tucson, Ariz. The criteria for the award the judges used included "cover design, use of graphics and artwork, use of color, page organization, advertising layout, use of co-op, self promotion, presentation of classifieds, editorial coverage, general readability and overall look and design of the publication."
There were 2,092 papers in the competition. Reminder Publications' win was for the division with more than 25 percent or more news content.
"Knowing how big this organization is and how many people entered it was a huge surprise," Reminder Publications Co-Publisher Dan Buendo said.
"It's an overall award," Buendo explained. "It's a reflection on the whole paper -- the news, the ads and how they are presented. If you're going to win one award, that's the one."
The company also won First Place Best Agency Ad; First Place Self Promotion; Second Place Advertising Promotion and Third Place Best Cover Design.
Founded in 1962 by Carlo Buendo and his late wife Anne, Reminder Publications initially published one weekly, "The Reminder," which was a shopper -- primarily composed of ads -- and mailed to homes in East Longmeadow. The Buendos saw a need for a local advertising vehicle in the growing suburban town.
The Reminder grew to include Longmeadow, Hampden and Wilbraham. In 1992, the company introduced the monthly magazine PRIME and in 1998 bought the Chicopee Herald. Seeing additional opportunities to expand, the company started its Reminder MetroWest edition serving towns on the western side of the Connecticut River in 2001 and gave Springfield its only dedicated newspaper in 2004.
With this expansion came a greater emphasis on news from both a town and regional basis. According to independent circulation audits, about 120,000 people in the Greater Springfield area read the Reminder newspapers every week.
The edition serving the East Longmeadow area is the only one that is home delivered. The other three newspapers are on-demand publications distributed through key distribution points in each community.
The company remains a family owned business with Dan and his brother Chris as the second generation of owners.
Buendo explained the members of AFCP include "some big players" and the newspapers produced by Reminder Publications went against those published by some large corporate publishers.
"The fact we beat them out is a reflection on the quality of our staff," he said.
