Herald-Sun begins Saturday digital-only publication, expanded weekend editions
On Saturday morning, at least a few of our loyal readers will sleepily walk out to the driveway and notice that something is missing.
There will not be a Herald-Sun waiting there for you. As we announced a few weeks ago, we’re moving to a digital-only distribution of our Saturday editions beginning this week.
I know for some of you, not being able to read the sports scores or do the crossword puzzle over coffee will be a disruption in your Saturday routine. I’ve heard from others who don’t like to read the news on a screen or are worried they’ll miss some important news.
I’m not going to spin this. The truth is times are tough for local news organizations across the country. Our readers’ habits are changing along with the business model that has supported this newspaper, and others like it since the 1800s.
We’re making this change to help ensure that we can keep producing quality news and information about Durham, the Triangle and our state for many years to come.
I grew up reading The Herald-Sun and The News & Observer, and I moved back to the Triangle in 2018 because I believe these news organizations are worth fighting for. But part of that fight is making the tough decisions that help protect community journalism and preserve our ability to serve this region long into the future.
Our eEdition and digital platforms are a huge part of that future. If you haven’t accessed your subscription and tried out the eEdition yet, now is a great time to do that.
The eEdition is a digital replica of the print edition, but it’s also filled with dozens of pages of additional national, international, sports and business news. There are multiple pages of sports stats and stocks and mutual fund listings as well as in-depth reporting from around the globe.
It’s really a delight.
Once you’ve logged in, you can also read all of the new stories posted on the heraldsun.com website and on our iOs and Android apps. You can sign up for email newsletters and breaking news alerts and app notifications that keep you up-to-date on important happenings in real-time.
We’re investing in our digital products because that’s where our readers are increasingly going. We reach far more people on these platforms than our print editions ever have.
But that doesn’t mean we’re abandoning print. Beginning today, we’re expanding the Friday print edition to add a new section called Uplift, which you’ll find on pages 7B-10B Friday. It’s filled with stories that can be a welcome relief to some of the tragic and depressing news of the day. You’ll also find a few new comics and puzzles to enjoy. Think of this as your weekend edition.
All of your regular comics and puzzles will be in the eEdition on Saturday, but they also will be printed in the Sunday print edition of the Herald-Sun. The solutions will continue to be printed on the following day.
Change is hard. And the pace of change just continues to accelerate in all aspects of modern life. To survive, we will continue to evolve and adapt to changing technologies and reader needs.
But even as some things change, others stay the same. Our core mission of doing essential journalism that serves this community remains unaltered.
Day after day, our reporters go to city council and school board meetings to keep you informed about what your elected officials are doing in your name. They ask tough questions and seek to hold those in power to account.
They dig through public records and arcane databases looking for information that can bring context to current events. And they look for patterns and trends that shed light on a hot debate or a public policy dilemma.
They tell you about restaurants and businesses that are opening and closing, and they keep you posted about some of the fun things to do on the weekend. They follow your favorite sports teams and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the players and coaches.
They tell the story of our community — its tragedies and its triumphs. And they do this because they believe local news is essential to a healthy democracy and an engaged community.
We hope you agree and that you’ll continue to support our work by subscribing in print and/or our digital products and letting us know about the stories you want to read.
We truly cannot do this without you.
Questions
If you have questions or concerns related to the new delivery method, please give us a call at 919-419-6900 or email customerservice@heraldsun.com. The customer support team is determined to do what it takes to help.
This story was originally published July 4, 2019 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Herald-Sun begins Saturday digital-only publication, expanded weekend editions."