What do YOU read, Taylor County?

It's official. More people in our community read the Central Kentucky News-Journal than any other publication. And the newest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations prove it.

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With 6,675 subscribers, the News-Journal reaches 57.8 percent of Taylor County's households. That percentage is called our penetration rate.

The News-Journal has always tried hard to provide readers with the stories and photographs they want. And with the number of submissions we receive from readers, we must be doing something right. There's not a single week that we have room to run every single item that is submitted. However, we do our best to get each published as soon as possible.

We see Lexington and Louisville news reporters here in town occasionally. But does anyone ever see them on a regular basis? What about the state newspapers?

Of course not. They only show up when "big" news occurs ... and even then it's usually only for "bad" news. That's why community newspapers are so important. We cover the lives of our residents each and every day.

We celebrate with you the birth of a child, a blue ribbon in the 4-H contest or the game-winning touchdown. These are the events in our community that we believe are important.

Is your daughter getting married? Are you celebrating a milestone anniversary? Is your church hosting a gospel singing and you'd like to invite the community to attend? Or are you concerned about a community issue and you feel it necessary to write a letter to the editor expressing your viewpoint?

That's what community newspapers are all about.

And that's because local people want to read about local news and events. And that's not ever going to change.

As I've noted in a past column, some people have derogatively referred to community newspapers as "refrigerator journalism." But, to be honest, I can think of no higher honor than having parts of our newspaper clipped out and posted proudly on someone's refrigerator or glued into a scrapbook. It means we've done our job - chronicling the lives of our residents.

However, in addition to the CKNJ, residents in Taylor County also enjoy reading other magazines and newspapers, though their circulation is far less.

By comparison, the next most popular publication is AARP Magazine with 1,459 subscribers. USA Weekend follows close behind with 1,427 readers, while the Courier-Journal isn't far off with 1,290 subscribers.

There are several other publications Taylor Countians read:

Better Homes and Gardens - 811 subscribers.

Good Housekeeping - 544 subscribers.

Ladies Home Journal - 504 readers.

Woman's Day - 480 subscribers.

Southern Living - 446 readers.

Family Circle - 407 subscribers.

TV Guide - 340 readers.

Cosmopolitan - 290 readers.

Prevention - 283 readers.

Redbook - 274 readers.

Parents - 221 readers.

Playboy - 181 readers.

As you can see from the numbers, people in Taylor County prefer reading about Taylor County.

And I don't blame them. It's a great place to live.