For more than 38 years, the Arizona Informant has served the African-American community statewide, but finding new ways to make money in a tough economy presents some challenges.

Cloves Campbell Jr., 48, chief operating officer for the Arizona Informant said advertising companies have turned their backs on newspapers.

“We’ve had to go out and try to get more advertising sales people,” Campbell said. “We have some business out there. The biggest thing is getting people who want to work to do some work.”

Campbell said he wants to increase the newspaper’s online presence, but generating enough advertising sales to do so may prevent him.

He said he doesn’t want to give the newspaper away for free. About 95 percent of the Arizona Informant’s sales are through paid publication, he said.

“Anything that’s worth anything isn’t free,” Campbell said. “We’ve always charged a fee to receive our publication.”

He wants to put an extended version of the newspaper online, but only after the economy picks back up, he said.

Despite advertising woes, Campbell said his newspaper will continue to do what it does best — serve the African-American community in Arizona.

“We record black history every week,” Campbell said. “Some things people don’t see or will never see again are the things we put in our publication.”

Campbell said the Informant is the only real link to positive news about Arizona’s African-Americans. With a circulation of 100,000, many people depend on the newspaper as a means of staying informed, he said.

“A lot of people wouldn’t really know what is going on in Arizona without it,” Campbell said. “Not just for social things, but for really important issues that are vital to the lives of African-Americans in Arizona.”

Issues like education, religion and finance are the bulk of what the newspaper covers. It is trying to do a better job at localizing its coverage, Campbell said.

“We have a string of 17 reporters that we use throughout the state,” he said. “We try to make sure we can get the news nobody else can get.”

Public relations sophomore Jasmine Dean said she reads the newspaper because of the sense of community it provides.

“I like it because it covers a lot of my community,” Dean said. “I like to read what stuff is going on.”

The paper provides insight not only to issues in Phoenix, but all over Arizona, she said, adding how important it is to know what’s going on in your community.

Floyd Galloway, 50, an ASU alumnus and reporter for the Arizona Informant, said the paper povides primarily local coverage because readers can get national coverage anywhere.

An example would be the paper’s focus on high school for its sports coverage, he said.

Galloway writes several stories a week for the newspaper and said the workload can be demanding. Like many reporters in the Informant newsroom, he has another job.

“A lot of the reporters are subcontractors,” hesaid. “Most have other jobs, so they have to balance their regular job with their newspaper job.”

It can be difficult at times, but it’s worth it because he is serving the community, Galloway said.

“It’s a community obligation,” he said. “It’s the love we have for the community and wanting to get information to them.”

Reach the reporter at dbjoraas@asu.edu