MANSFIELD, Ohio — For the past six years, Heart of Ohio magazine has strived to share the “best of Ohio.”
The first issue was published in January of 2010, not long after the General Motors plant closed. Publisher Diane Brown remembers the negative effect the closure had, not just on the economy, but people’s perceptions of the area.
“People were pretty upset and everybody was thinking everything’s leaving Mansfield,” she said.
“I went to several economic meetings and all they talked about was how Mansfield used to be and there’s nothing good left. And I remember one man standing up and saying, ‘There are still a lot of good stories here, it’s just that nobody’s talking about them.'”
That statement piqued Brown’s interest and led her to consider how she could promote positive stories about the area, which is how Heart of Ohio magazine came into the picture.
“I thought it was something the community needed,” she said.
She said the magazine is meant to give readers a sense of pride for their community.
It started by focusing on subject matter from Richland and surrounding counties.
“By the second year, people from other counties were telling us their stories and wanted to be a part of it, so now we’re pretty much statewide,” she said.
Heart of Ohio is published bimonthly. A special edition dubbed “Focus” is distributed in the spring with the March/April issue and in the fall with the September/October issue. This companion publication spotlights special interest topics from around Ohio.
The magazine is circulated to about 60,000 readers per issue, according to Nathan Crock, sales representative.
Since it was launched, the publication has offered free access to its articles online at www.heartofohiomagazine.com.
Brown said some changes are being made to the website, noting, “It’ll be easier to use for subscribers, for people wanting to look at our media guide, and it has a new look.”
Another new feature to the publication has surfaced as a result of a partnership between Heart of Ohio and Richland Source. The companies will be sharing content with one another “to deliver the best possible mix of content to our readers,” said Jay Allred, publisher for Richland Source.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Brown said. “Some of the stories that we write about would be a good fit for Richland Source, and I’ve read some very interesting stories in Richland Source that we’d like to maybe expand on and put, along with the photographs, in our magazine.”
Allred commented, “This is exciting to our team because two smaller, local businesses that complement one another are collaborating and working together. As storytellers, Heart of Ohio and Richland Source have a great deal of common ground, particularly on the life and culture side of things. There are no two publications more plugged into Richland County, and by sharing content with one another we only serve our readers and advertisers more effectively.
“That’s the name of the game.”
