The Bossier Press-Tribune has been giving away free advertising in the form of videos for local businesses during COVID-19.
According to published reports, restaurants and their employees are feeling the catastrophic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic across the county. Since March 1, the industry has lost more than 3 million jobs and $25 billion in sales, and restaurant operators anticipate having to lay off more people in April.
Communities are pulling together to do everything they can to reduce exposure and the spread of the disease. But, that doesn’t mean that the vast majority of us have to stop doing business with one another.
Seeing how COVID-19 has affected the local area, Bossier Press-Tribune Advertising Manager Chris Sepeda was trying to figure out a way for the newspaper to help out our community, and his friends that own businesses in the area.
“After talking with the guys at Flying Heart, it hit me. Why not go around and do basic, raw, unedited videos of local business owners telling the people of Bossier City/Parish what they are offering during all this craziness to help the community and their employees,” said Sepeda.
“I just want to make sure the backbone of Bossier City/Parish, small businesses, are still around when this mess ends. Small businesses do way more for the schools and sports teams in the area than a lot of people realize, so we need them when things get back to whatever normal will be,” he added
Sepeda says that while each location that he has been to so far has their own story, all of them are close to the same.
“They’re all doing what they can for their employees, whether it’s Flying Heart and Chimi V’s, trying to set aside money for their servers, or BeauxJax raising money to feed the ‘front liners,’ everyone is trying their best to help someone else out,” said Sepeda.
Sepeda is thankful for the leaders of the Bossier Press-Tribune for allowing him to show the community what great small businesses we have here in Bossier Parish.
“I’m very thankful that Randy Brown and David Specht are allowing me to do these videos,” he said.
“We aren’t making a dime off of them — you know giving away advertising if you will — and they could have easily said ‘no,’ or ‘please charge something to cover my cost.’ But both said, ‘Go and do the best you can, and, that says a lot about them as people and as leaders of the Bossier Press-Tribune.”
