Our Spring issue is out today! Read it online or look out for a copy in your letterbox or at your local library. To celebrate, here's 12 things to know about your local independent publication. And if you'd like to support us, please subscribe here.
1. The magazine is named after a tree (the iconic Illawarra Flame Tree)
2. Each month, we print 11,000 magazines, which are hand-delivered to letterboxes, libraries and local businesses
3. We reach a loyal local niche, with a total monthly readership 0f 35,000+
4. We’re a voice for volunteers, sustainability, small business, grassroots sport and the arts
5. We offer the best value for money advertising in the Illawarra
6. We’re locally owned and operated, run by journalists who put quality first
7. Our business model is fair and simple – content is free for community groups, space is paid for by businesses
8. We’re growing – in 2022 we launched a news website and in 2023 we launched a weekly digital magazine
9. We mentor journalism students and emerging writers. Plus, our paper round is a perfect job for teenagers, seniors/retirees, and anyone who'd like to earn money simply by walking!
10. We are proud to have co-founded a festival of non-fiction – True Story at Coledale in November
11. We aim to inform, entertain and empower, are lifelong advocates of public interest journalism and founding members of the Local & Independent News Association
12. After 10 years of serving the community – through fire, floods and Covid-19 – we have earned readers’ trust.
Our readership
Our readers live between the mountains and the sea, in a city composed of a string of beautiful coastal villages, each with a unique character and strong sense of community. Residents actively support local businesses, advocate for sustainability, volunteer their services and participate in neighbourhood forums, sports teams and the arts.
We live in a city poised for growth: the Wollongong City Council population forecast for 2023 is 219,624 and it is forecast to grow to 270,518 by 2041.
Be a Friend of the Flame
Here’s 5 ways to support your locally owned, independent community news magazine.
- 1. Shop local. This publication is almost entirely funded by advertising, please thank our local businesses with your custom. Don’t forget to tell them you saw their ad in the Flame!
- 2. Become a Friend of the Flame. Sign up for free to submit events for our calendar; for $5 per month, get access to all our interactive digital puzzles; for $120 per year, list your business or organisation in our local directory.
- 3. Share your story. We love to tell the stories of inspirational local volunteers, societies and sports clubs. Please Get In Touch.
- 4. Advertise with us. The Flame is only publication still letterboxed locally, with our unique (and very fit!) team delivering to 11,000 homes, businesses and libraries in the first week of every month. Request a media kit.
- 5. Tell your friends. We’ve built a digital hub with unique community news – follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
