Delivery changes position Daily State News for stronger future

DOVER — Perhaps one of Yogi Berra’s famous lines will offer some perspective on changes to the Daily State News and the delivery of news and information.

“When you reach the fork in the road, take it.”

The Yogi-ism suggests moving forward in times of uncertainty and embracing opportunities ahead.

We are confronted with the questions of how we financially support and sustain our journalistic mission — now and well into the future.

“We’re trying to set up for years to come,” said Daily State News publisher Konrad LaPrade.

One clear direction to growth is digital. Our number of website and e-newspaper subscribers has tripled in the past year.

Another bit of clarity can be found in the realities of how expensive it is to print and deliver newspapers. The fact is that those burdens are too heavy for the long haul.

So, what are the changes ahead? In case you missed the news, here is what was announced a few days ago:

• Starting Nov. 26, we will mail print editions of the Daily State News on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays to our home delivery customers.

• We will discontinue single-copy sales of newspapers in stores and local newsstands.

• We will continue producing e-newspapers seven days a week.

Our goal is to have all three printed editions in your mailboxes the afternoons prior to the publication dates. For example, you should receive your Sunday newspaper with the Saturday mail.

Readers will notice some content differences in what we include in our print editions, particularly an emphasis on news analysis and features. Ideally, we will have content that appeals to a broad audience in the Daily State News.

We will continue to facilitate discussions of local issues on our Opinion pages. That is at the very heart of our company’s mission.

You will be able to find breaking-news information — including sports — at BaytoBayNews.com.

Additionally, we will have more community-oriented news on the website.

“We remain committed to our print audience, but we want to set the Daily State News up to reach people for a long time,” said Mr. LaPrade. “We also want readers to really explore our website, even if you’re a traditional print reader.”

BaytoBayNews.com has much more content than we can fit on paper. Plus, there are modern touches — videos, photo galleries, self-serve calendars and more — that allow for a rich browsing experience.

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We want to be clear that these changes are not just about cost savings.

Unshackling ourselves from the rising costs of paper and delivery, we can better focus on producing content. We plan to add two more reporters to our Delmarva newsroom.

And, following our company’s successful approach in Arizona, we will build community websites and local newspapers where there is strong interest and support.

We’re proud to announce that we will produce our first edition of the Middletown-Smyrna Independent, a monthly newspaper that will be mailed to select addresses

in those communities. It will also be available as an e-newspaper at BaytoBayNews.com.

This approach means that we can really dig into hyperlocal coverage of communities, while we strive to have matters of broader interest in the Daily State News.

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Following the announcement about our delivery changes, we heard from some readers who said they did not realize the seven-day e-newspapers were already part of their subscriptions.

We want to get all paid readers signed up for access.

To set up your account, go to baytobaynews.com/login.html. See the information under “Need an account?”

For current home delivery customers, enter your last name and street address. Then, follow the steps.

If you run into a problem, email customerservice@iniusa.org or call our Customer Service team at 302-741-8298 during business hours this week and one of our staffers will walk you through the process.

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For those of you who are single-copy regulars, we understand that the elimination of store sales disrupts your habit. However, we believe that you will appreciate the tremendous savings and value of an unlimited digital access subscription.

If you currently buy all five editions in a week, it costs $11 at the store.

For less than half the cost of store purchases, you can get a monthly digital subscription, which offers much more content and greater freedom in when and where you read the news. The e-newspaper can be read on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

Visit baytobaynews.com/subscribe-today to sign up at $5 per month or $55 per year.

Also, note that you can get the three days of home delivery for $19 per month. The price includes access to our e-newspaper and content at BaytoBayNews.com.

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Readers, thank you for your loyalty and support of the Daily State News.

It is our intention to carry on the 70-year legacy of this newspaper for decades to come.