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Lee County Shopper to be added to Reporter

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To better serve readers and advertisers, the Breeze Newspapers has integrated its Lee County Shopper publication into the news sections of its weekly newspapers including Sanibel Captiva Islander/Reporter.

Readers will find The Shopper’s classifieds, service directory ads and obituaries conveniently formatted into easy-to-read, easy-to-find pages that will run in the Fort Myers Beach Observer/Beach Bulletin, Pine Island Eagle, North Fort Myers Neighbor, Lehigh Acres Citizen, Sanibel Captiva Islander/Reporter and the Wednesday and weekend editions of The Breeze.

The change will benefit readers and advertisers alike, said Publisher Scott Blonde.

“Readers who count on our newspapers for all the news about their community can now simply flip the page to The Shopper’s regional classifieds and comprehensive service directory listings,” Blonde said. “The one-stop-shop packaging will not only make it easier for readers, it will benefit the advertisers who, for four decades, have relied on The Shopper to reach households throughout Lee County.”

Advertisers may now select either a single paper, or all seven Lee County community newspapers to provide them full county coverage with a weekly average total distribution of more than 73,500.

“The long-standing mission of the Breeze Newspapers is to be the primary provider of local news and information in the communities we serve,” Blonde said. “Our community news coverage is second to none. Re-formatting our papers to include The Shopper’s classified marketplace and obituaries with community news coverage makes good sense for readers and advertisers alike. It’s win-win.”

The Lee County Shopper is a go-to source for garage sales and other “traditional” classified categories, including auctions and bazaars, vehicle sales and help wanted ads along with the most comprehensive business and services listings in Lee County. The formatting improvement will not change the “reach” of the ads and listings; The Shopper Classified marketplace will continue to be one of the largest advertising vehicles in Lee County.

“If anything, inclusion among the pages of our community newspapers will boost readership,” Blonde said. “The Shopper has been included in these publications for several years now; the format change just better positions its content. Easier is always better.”

The new content configuration is part of a continuing effort on the part of the Breeze Newspapers to improve its various print “packages.” In addition to community-specific news sections with local advertising, every paper includes SmartSource national coupons and weekly sales fliers from leading businesses such as Publix, and as well as varying special publications and inserts, including the bargain-packed Lee County Shopper Coupon Book.