We’re shifting our Tuesday version to Wednesday. Right here’s why.
For decades, Sonoma Valley has counted on the Index-Tribune hitting stoops, driveways and porches every Tuesday and Friday, carrying the news of the week in a neatly bundled package. When sonomanews.com was launched in 1997, that local journalism was soon made available online. As the business has changed, so has the newspaper.
That ability to grow and pivot is what has kept the IT, and its parent company Sonoma Media Investments, an agile and skilled player in the industry. Especially through times of deep disruption in our field, we have fought to serve our readers. When COVID-19 locked us up at home, we sent out puzzle books and take-out guides. Successfully reacting to rapid changes in the market has made all the difference for our operations, and earned our CEO Steve Falk Executive of the Year from the California Press Foundation in tumultuous 2020.
For newspapers, those that fail to prepare find themselves in peril.
“More than 2,200 local newspapers have closed since 2005,” the Washington Post reported last year, leaving news deserts all across America. The vast majority of those closures are weeklies, like the Index-Tribune, the heart and soul of local journalism. Towns with no local news are missing a critical watchdog, a Fourth Estate that ensures checks and balances are in place. Without newspapers, communities report being less civically engaged, less aware about the actions of decision makers, less connected to their neighborhoods.
“Because when we lose local journalism, we lose a fabric that holds together communities; we lose crucial information that allows democracy to function; and at the most basic level, we lose stories that need to be told,” the Post wrote.
The stakes are high, and protecting important, relevant journalism is a mission we don’t take lightly. That’s why we made the hard decision to close our long-standing printing plant in Rohnert Park. The antiquated machinery was simply too costly to run, taking dollars that could be better spent in the newsroom. Our friends at the San Francisco Chronicle welcomed us into their Fremont-based plant, where we will begin printing the first week of April.
But, like all changes, there were residual side effects. Schedules couldn’t align just as they had before, meaning our Tuesday paper will become a Wednesday edition on April 6. You can expect the same great content, with coverage of local government, community events and local opinions, delivered one day later.
While this change will affect our deadlines and schedules, the most positive difference will be seen online. We are moving to a digital-first operation, with the intent to break new news near daily online. This is how we can best serve you, our readers, the bulk of whom now read us on a phone or tablet. Expect Sonoma City Council coverage in hours, not days, as the immediacy of news takes focus.
Some changes can be painful, but this one will provide the opportunity to further invest in our newsrooms, while enhancing our content 24/7 at sonomanews.com. Be sure to sign up for our newsletters and follow us on social media to stay in the loop. And if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to IT editor and publisher Emily Charrier at emily.charrier@sonomanews.com.
See you on Wednesday, Sonoma, starting April 6.
