Weekend print changes start this week for Bradenton Herald
At the Bradenton Herald and Bradenton.com, we are breaking and reporting news from early in the morning until late at night as we work to make this newspaper, YOUR newspaper, as essential as it can be. Part of that includes an intense focus on producing the in-depth, accountability journalism that makes a difference in a community — whether you read it in print, on your laptop computer or on your smartphone.
Staying alert to developments shaping and reshaping the news business today — declines in print advertising, increases in the price of newsprint, revolutions in technology, changes in reader habits and many, many others — and adapting to them, are a constant part of the job for myself and the other journalists, advertising sales representatives and others at the Bradenton Herald.
The challenges sometimes seem daunting. But even with all the changes, our commitment to serving you, our readers, and to our unique role in our democracy, remains unbowed.
Another change starts this week.
As we announced a few months ago, we will stop printing and delivering a Saturday edition, beginning Feb. 8. This doesn’t mean we’ll be producing less local content, and it doesn’t mean there won’t be a full e-edition online. But it does mean we are taking another step in our digital shift, and it’s a decision made to preserve our future.
We will, however, continue to get your favorite features to you in print. Both the Friday and Sunday editions will get larger to accommodate the puzzles, comics and TV listings that would normally appear on Saturdays. Every obituary also will appear in a print edition.
We will continue to publish a full Saturday e-edition. If you have not checked out the e-edition yet — if you are a print subscriber, you have unlimited access to the e-edition, as well as to our website and apps — I encourage you to do so. Because it doesn’t carry the production costs of ink, paper and press runs, we are able to bring you dozens of extra pages each day in the daily e-edition, including late sports news and national news and features content. As an example, Monday’s print edition won’t include the score of Sunday’s Super Bowl game, but there will be complete coverage in the e-edition, as well as at Bradenton.com and on our apps.
A reminder: If you are a print subscriber, you have unlimited access to all that digital content once you activate your online account at Bradenton.com.
On the content side, we will continue to focus on watchdog journalism, stories like the ones Jessica De Leon and Giuseppe Sabella reported last year on alleged abuse of students at two local public schools by school employees. We also will continue coverage of the decisions local governments and the school board make for the community and how they and other public entities spend your tax money. We also will continue to report on new restaurants opening in Bradenton, and look for those stories that highlight and celebrate the uniqueness of where we live and work.
These are difficult times for the newspaper industry. Just know that your subscription helps us with our mission to deliver journalism you value and deserve. More than ever, we need your investment in our work. So many of you have supported the Bradenton Herald for years. I wish I could thank each of you in person.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns related to the new delivery method, please give us a call at 800-748-6666 or email us at customerservice@bradenton.com. We will do everything possible to ensure your satisfaction.
Marc R. Masferrer is president and editor of the Bradenton Herald. You can reach him at mmasferrer@bradenton.com.
