If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a seven-day home delivery customer. We have some important news to share with you.
Starting on March 2, we will deliver the Monday paper in digital format only. We’ll continue to report, edit, design and lay out the Monday paper but instead of appearing on your doorstep or in your delivery tube, it will arrive electronically by 4 a.m. (no matter what the weather) as an ePaper.
This was not an easy decision. Our mission is to be a powerful force for good. We take it seriously and we will do everything we can to protect it. We also appreciate that we are a seven-day-a-week presence in our readers’ lives.
But we believe this move will advance our mission and enable us to report the news every day. Ultimately, we believe it will prove to be in the best interest of the communities that rely on our journalism.
It’s expensive to produce the Maine Sunday Telegram/Portland Press Herald. While some technologies have made production of our daily paper more efficient, nothing can replace the reporters, photographers, and editors who produce quality, local journalism.
“Feet on the street” is how we find and cover the stories important to readers. Moving to Digital-Only Monday saves significant dollars in newsprint and delivery costs needed to offset declining advertising revenue and newsstand sales and increasing expenses, including health insurance. The expense savings from Digital-Only Monday preserves jobs and our journalism by allowing us to maintain current staffing levels in our newsrooms.
We’re not the first newspaper in the country to reduce a day of print publishing, but not every publisher has offered an ePaper as an alternative. We know you like the format and layout of the print paper and that’s what you’ll find in the ePaper (minus the ink rub-off.) We’ve learned from other newspapers, the key to a smooth transition is repeated clear communication and hands-on assistance.
Let’s get that process started:
As a home delivery customer, you get full access to our digital products – PressHerald.com, our ePaper, email products and more. To take advantage of these digital offerings, you’ve got to connect your account for access. It’s just three easy steps:
1. Visit pressherald.com/connect
2. Use the look-up options to find your home delivery subscription. You’ll need one of the following 1. Account Number 2. ZIP code/Phone Number or 3. ZIP code/House Number.
3. You’ll create a user name/password and use these credentials to log into the website and ePaper.
If you still need help, you can call us at 791-6000 or email us at circulation@mainetoday.com. Or come to our office at 295 Gannett Drive, South Portland, on Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. to noon. We’ll give you a tour of the place, a cup of coffee, and get your digital account activated.
In addition to the open house, we’ll be at public libraries and all Press Herald events for the next two months with staff ready to assist you. Watch for ads in the paper with details on when and where we’ll be.
We know not every reader has access to the internet or even wants to read the paper online. While not all print readers will support this move to Digital-Only Monday, we hope you understand the reasons behind this move.
The alternative would be job cuts, and with a smaller newsroom, the quality of journalism and our ability to shine a spotlight on the important stories would be diminished. Cutting the Monday print edition is a much better way to serve all our readers.
We will try to make this transition as smooth as possible. We are grateful for your support.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
