Important changes coming to the TH

Dear ____________,

The Telegraph Herald is making some changes soon and we want to let you know about them.

While it is still read in print form by many of our readers, for several years now, more and more of our local customers are engaging with our publications online, by reading on their phones, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers. This is not unique to us or to the tri-states. It has been a widespread trend in the news industry for the past several years.

Printing a daily newspaper has numerous costs associated with it (skilled workforce, state-of-the art equipment, raw materials, distribution, and more). As the cost of doing business continues to rise, like most other businesses and industries, we are working diligently to manage our costs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated these trends, speeding up our need to move to more digital platforms. The trends we’ve seen are not new and will not go away after the pandemic is over, so we have looked at ways to save money, cut costs and generate income in ways that won’t sacrifice our ability to deliver local news on a daily basis that is timely, meaningful, and convenient for you to read.

We have studied other newspapers across the country and how they have balanced the need for printing the paper and making the paper an online publication. For several years now, we have had the print version of the Telegraph Herald (seven days a week), the digital replica of the printed paper (called the eEdition), and access to digital content on our website (also available seven days a week, 24 hours a day).  While some in our industry have gone “mostly digital” or “all digital,” we believe that many of our readers still feel connected to and appreciate the print version of the paper.

In order to adjust to slowly, but steadily, changing reader habits, balance our financial needs with industry trends, and keep your preferences in mind as much as possible, we are implementing some new processes soon. Starting January 11, 2021, we will have an electronic-only edition for Mondays, meaning that the paper will no longer be printed on Mondays but will be available both as an online replica (the eEdition version) and through our soon-to-be-enhanced website (TelegraphHerald.com). We will continue to provide the strong independent local news you expect from the Telegraph Herald — in print Tuesday through Sunday, and online all seven days of the week.

Another positive change for us, and we believe for you, is that we will be bringing the printing of the Telegraph Herald back to our own facility in Platteville, Wisconsin. (We previously had sent this printing out of market to Cedar Rapids for a contractor to print for us.) 

What do these printing changes mean for you and the community?

• Printing at Woodward Printing Services in Platteville will create new jobs for tri-state residents.
• Moving our printing back to the tri-states puts us in a financial position to preserve jobs in our newsroom and strengthen local content resources.
• Because we will now be printing “in-house,” we will be able to offer later newsroom deadlines for local sports and breaking news, which will make it easier to get late news into the next day’s printed paper.
• We will be transitioning to a slightly smaller (shorter) size of the printed papers that will make the Telegraph Heraldeasier to handle.
• We will return to using a heavier weight of paper to ensure better print quality.

Your subscription rate will remain the same and will also continue to include seven-day unlimited digital access.  If you aren’t already using one or more of the ways to connect electronically with the Telegraph Herald, go to this link to do all these things:

www.TelegraphHerald.com/links

• The Telegraph Herald website
• The eEdition. This version is typically ready by 6:00 AM and often earlier. 
• Access through mobile apps (go to the App Store or Google Play Store), newsletters, and on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
• You can also use your login credentials to access TH Perks for money-saving coupons and discounts on restaurants and entertainment. Search TH Perks in your App Store or go to TelegraphHerald.com/THperks to login.

All these digital platforms are accessible wherever you go and whenever you want. They are already included in your subscription rate.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns related to the new delivery method, please give us a call at 800-562-1825 or email us at customerservice@thmedia.com. We will do everything possible to ensure your satisfaction and assist you with the transition to the digital issue on Mondays.

Thank you for being a loyal reader of the Telegraph Herald and for investing in local news.

Sincerely,

Bob Woodward

Publisher