FLEMING ISLAND – At a time when subscriptions are declining in the newspaper business, newly-hired Publisher Farris Robinson has a unique goal for Clay Today and its subsidiary publications – double the number of print readers in two years.

“We have an advantage because we are a weekly community paper, a true community newspaper, where the dailies have lost that in touch,” Robinson said. “They're all Associated Press. They really don't have a local feel anymore. So we have an advantage there.

“I'll be looking to grow and push Osteen Media Group into the digital world. Everything will be attached to the legacy product, which is Clay Today.”

Originally from Powdersville, South Carolina, Robinson has lived in Florida since 1987. He’s been involved in sales, business development and, most recently, he was the president of Hometown News – which has a circulation of 168,000 along Central Florida’s east coast – for the past 10 years.

“And then, the Osteen family reached out to me through some contacts that we had on some national and local newspaper association committees,” Robinson said. “And they reached out to me and sounded like a good opportunity, a new challenge in life. So I figured out to give it a shot.

“There's so much growth potential here. So much. It's already going forward.”

As the Publisher, Robinson said it’s his responsibility to “basically make sure that everything runs smoothly from the front door to the back door. You know to make sure that all cylinders are clicking, and cars moving in the right direction.”

He’s also the new face of Clay Today, along with the Keystone Heights Herald, School News, The Oakleaf and The Leader, as well as the 21 specialty publications.

That means working with a variety of community groups, serving on committees and creating new contacts. And while he will always be a paper and ink man, Robinson also will create more digital options for Clay Today readers.

“People trust (newspapers) because they see it in print. We will tie papers and online together. That's the plan that I have with our local businesses to put a program together that gets them everything – the digital world and print.”

Robinson replaced Jon Cantrell, who left Clay Today to become President of the Clay Chamber of Commerce.