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Numbers make us think

When you work in a newsroom, you find that people like to send information to you.

It might be the result of a survey or poll, it might be a free-lancer trying to get his or her work published or it might be just a run-of-the-mill public relations piece.

Depending on the time of the year, those releases from public relations companies can be quite interesting. A rite of Thanksgiving, for instance, is the release announcing when the Butterball Turkey Hotline will open for business and what hours harried cooks can make their calls for help.

Twice a year, you can expect to see releases come into the newsroom from companies that make smoke detectors and sell the batteries that power them, serving as a reminder that the start of daylight saving time and the return of Eastern Standard Time are excellent times to check the operation of the devices and install fresh batteries.

The idea is for the release to fall onto the desk of a reporter or an editor who is looking for a quick way to generate a story. The information contained in most of the releases is informative and, with a few quick phone calls, texts or e-mails can serve as the starting point for a local story that readers will get some value from.

We’ve experienced a little more of that during the last month or so, as an outfit called WalletHub has been sending us weekly analysis pieces that contain some valuable and fun information.

For example, during the first week of June, the personal finance website released a survey that showed what residents of our region have known all along – that Pittsburgh is a very good baseball city, trailing only St. Louis on a scale that measured 11 metrics that included average team performance, minimum season ticket prices and average ticket prices.

Area fans should also have been impressed to learn that Pittsburgh was not alone near the top – Cincinnati was ranked third and Cleveland was ranked fifth.

Also this summer, the organization listed another analysis that revealed information that confirms what resident of the Tri-State Area have long known – that Pittsburgh is the top-ranked city for hockey fans.

Rankings were derived using 18 metrics that included ticket prices, arena accessibility and performance levels.

The Penguins were tied with the Blackhawks for second in the performance category behind Anaheim.

While that was good news, the bad news for fans in our area is that Pittsburgh had the highest average ticket price among National Hockey League teams.

Some other interesting statistical analysis released in the last eight weeks or so shows that West Virginia is the fourth strictest state when it comes to how DUI offenders are handled. Ohio is tied for 41st with New Jersey, while Pennsylvania is 49th.

Around Father’s Day, the survey showed that Ohio was the 14th best state for working fathers. Pennsylvania was not that far behind, finishing 16th. West Virginia was 48th. The 20 metrics used to arrive at those rankings included unemployment rates for fathers, male life expectancy and day care quality.

According to its website, WalletHub was created in February 2012 by Evolution Finance. It’s described as a one-stop destination for all the tools and information consumers and small business owners need to make better financial decisions and save money.”

Like all polls and surveys, the results are subject to how the information is gathered, presented and interpreted. But, also like all polls and surveys, the numbers can give you something to think about.

——–

As we head into August, it’s important to remember that the fundraising activities of local United Ways are ready to kick into high gear.

The United Way of Jefferson County, for instance, will hold a community breakfast at 8 a.m. Thursday at Hellenic Hall inside Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, located at the corner of Fourth and South streets. The event will be a way to try to bring all parts of the community together and will be an opportunity to educate local residents and businesses about the work of the United Way, explains Beth Rupert-Warren, the United Way executive director.

On Aug. 9, the 16th-annual Memorial Motorcycle Pledge Ride and Poker Run will be held, beginning and ending at Manfred’s Lounge on Sunset Boulevard. And, the annual Day of Caring and Campaign Kickoff is scheduled for Sept. 10. The day will begin with a breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at Hellenic Hall with work projects scheduled to be held throughout Jefferson County from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For information about these events or, to volunteer to help, call the United Way office at (740) 284-9000.

(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)

Numbers make us think

When you work in a newsroom, you find that people like to send information to you.

It might be the result of a survey or poll, it might be a free-lancer trying to get his or her work published or it might be just a run-of-the-mill public relations piece.

Depending on the time of the year, those releases from public relations companies can be quite interesting. A rite of Thanksgiving, for instance, is the release announcing when the Butterball Turkey Hotline will open for business and what hours harried cooks can make their calls for help.

Twice a year, you can expect to see releases come into the newsroom from companies that make smoke detectors and sell the batteries that power them, serving as a reminder that the start of daylight saving time and the return of Eastern Standard Time are excellent times to check the operation of the devices and install fresh batteries.

The idea is for the release to fall onto the desk of a reporter or an editor who is looking for a quick way to generate a story. The information contained in most of the releases is informative and, with a few quick phone calls, texts or e-mails can serve as the starting point for a local story that readers will get some value from.

We’ve experienced a little more of that during the last month or so, as an outfit called WalletHub has been sending us weekly analysis pieces that contain some valuable and fun information.

For example, during the first week of June, the personal finance website released a survey that showed what residents of our region have known all along – that Pittsburgh is a very good baseball city, trailing only St. Louis on a scale that measured 11 metrics that included average team performance, minimum season ticket prices and average ticket prices.

Area fans should also have been impressed to learn that Pittsburgh was not alone near the top – Cincinnati was ranked third and Cleveland was ranked fifth.

Also this summer, the organization listed another analysis that revealed information that confirms what resident of the Tri-State Area have long known – that Pittsburgh is the top-ranked city for hockey fans.

Rankings were derived using 18 metrics that included ticket prices, arena accessibility and performance levels.

The Penguins were tied with the Blackhawks for second in the performance category behind Anaheim.

While that was good news, the bad news for fans in our area is that Pittsburgh had the highest average ticket price among National Hockey League teams.

Some other interesting statistical analysis released in the last eight weeks or so shows that West Virginia is the fourth strictest state when it comes to how DUI offenders are handled. Ohio is tied for 41st with New Jersey, while Pennsylvania is 49th.

Around Father’s Day, the survey showed that Ohio was the 14th best state for working fathers. Pennsylvania was not that far behind, finishing 16th. West Virginia was 48th. The 20 metrics used to arrive at those rankings included unemployment rates for fathers, male life expectancy and day care quality.

According to its website, WalletHub was created in February 2012 by Evolution Finance. It’s described as a one-stop destination for all the tools and information consumers and small business owners need to make better financial decisions and save money.”

Like all polls and surveys, the results are subject to how the information is gathered, presented and interpreted. But, also like all polls and surveys, the numbers can give you something to think about.

——–

As we head into August, it’s important to remember that the fundraising activities of local United Ways are ready to kick into high gear.

The United Way of Jefferson County, for instance, will hold a community breakfast at 8 a.m. Thursday at Hellenic Hall inside Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, located at the corner of Fourth and South streets. The event will be a way to try to bring all parts of the community together and will be an opportunity to educate local residents and businesses about the work of the United Way, explains Beth Rupert-Warren, the United Way executive director.

On Aug. 9, the 16th-annual Memorial Motorcycle Pledge Ride and Poker Run will be held, beginning and ending at Manfred’s Lounge on Sunset Boulevard. And, the annual Day of Caring and Campaign Kickoff is scheduled for Sept. 10. The day will begin with a breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at Hellenic Hall with work projects scheduled to be held throughout Jefferson County from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For information about these events or, to volunteer to help, call the United Way office at (740) 284-9000.

(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)

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