Howe’s online news source had a lot to celebrate as the 2015 year came to a close. The final data management numbers from Google Analytics reported that HoweEnterprise.com had a total session (visits) count of 167,754 for 2015. That’s an increase from 2014’s total of 70,142. The number of users (people visiting) was recorded at 80,714. That number is up from the 30,774 from 2014. The page views totaled 232,744 which is a good number considering that it reflects each weekly publication as one page instead of the typical 16 pages. A conservative true estimate would be in the 2 million page view range.
“80,714 of you have visited howeenterprise.com in 2015. That says that what we’re doing is pulling a whole lot more people than just the population of Howe alone.” said Monte Walker, owner of The Howe Enterprise. “That number represents 67 percent of Grayson County visiting the site in 2015. This news source was created, in part, so that small businesses could advertise at an affordable price to not only stay in business, but thrive in business. The Howe citizens answered the bell by shopping local and the advertisers took advantage of the 75,000 readers from elsewhere and introduced their business to them. Due to this “shop local” success story, the City of Howe set a record in sales tax revenue in 2015 with a 12.44 percent increase which is the largest from any city on US 75 from Denison to Dallas. When this venture was established, this is exactly what was intended. I can’t thank you enough for continuing to support the small local businesses not only in Howe, but our surrounding communities.”
The Howe Enterprise was founded in 1963 as a traditional hometown weekly printed newspaper. In 1997, the name was changed to The Texoma Enterprise for more of a regional flavor. In 2011, the weekly publication went to an online-only version. In 2014, the company was sold from Dale and Lana Rideout to Monte Walker and the name changed back to The Howe Enterprise.
The past owners of The Howe Enterprise are:
A.P. “Pop” Sloan, 1963-1966
Bob Walker, 1966-1974
Jim and Nita Echols, 1974-1977
Dale and Lana Rideout, 1977-2014
Monte Walker, 2014-current
2015 Sessions: 167,754
2015 Users: 80,714
2014 Sessions: 70,142
2014 Users: 30,774
