By Kathy Leigh Berkowitz
This article is a collaborative effort between DailyRidge.com and D-R Media & Investments LLC
It might be unusual that two Polk County news outlets both have a D and an R at the head of their name.
What’s even more unusual is that The DailyRidge.com and D-R Media & Investments LLC are joining hands to share resources and extend their reach for the betterment of the community.
The DailyRidge.com, a locally owned and operated independent hyper local media company, will remain independent, as will D-R Media & Investments LLC, an extension of a family-owned newspaper business that owns the Winter Haven Sun, Polk News-Sun and Four Corners Sun in Polk County.
Understanding that the reporters for both news outlets were seeing each other at various community events and meetings on a regular basis, the companies suddenly realized that maybe they could create something sweet that would benefit the community they served: A partnership where both news outlets would remain independent, yet exchange stories and share advertising opportunities, creating a wide outreach for businesses and individuals who enjoy local news.
“We believe an informed citizenry is the best way to create sustainable great communities to live in. We admire the work the Daily Ridge does and are pleased to partner and expand the important civic information we all need,” said Dunn-Rankin.
“D-R Media & Investments LLC exists to help make the communities we serve a better place through quality journalism, helping locally owned businesses grow, events, and early-stage investments,” said owner David Dunn-Rankin.
D-R Media is owned by a fifth-generation Florida family. Their papers stretch from Lake Placid in the South and go north up US 27 to Wildwood covering America’s best small towns and include papers in Polk (Lakeland, Winter Haven, Four Corners as well as papers in Sumter, Lake and Highland counties.
DailyRidge.com is a hyper local media company focused on educating citizens by providing “Fast, Factual, and Free non-partisan news,” said Carl Fish, co-owner of the company.
“We try and showcase stories about citizens, leaders, and laws or regulations that affect our community,” Fish says.
The Daily Ridge originated in December of 2006 when two friends, Kip Kirchberg and Carl Fish, who felt the Polk County Ridge Area had a serious lack of factual unbiased news, joined hands to launch their online news outlet The Daily Ridge.
“Our contributors are everyday citizens, and our writers are from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds,” said Kip Kirchberg.
“As Polk County is larger in population than several entire states, we see a continuing need for more local news,” Kirchbergsaid.
Kip Kirchberg, Founding Partner of Daily Ridge, said “The Daily Ridge family is thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with D-R Media that is likely to revolutionize the way users consume news and information. D-R Media has a strong foothold in the printed news and information industry who has a great reputation for delivering quality journalism. The Daily Ridge is a smaller yet very successful organization with over 17 years knowledge of delivering digital hyper local news, entertainment, and community information. This Partnership will allow us both to reach a wider audience by leveraging more distribution options, while expanding coverage to provide readers more local news.”
