Did you know, way back in the Mesozoic Era, dinosaurs not only ruled the earth but lived in what is now Iowa?
And we all know the end to that story.
Some call print newspapers dinosaurs, and while we wholeheartedly believe there is and always will be a place for bootstrap journalism, we certainly don’t want to go the way of the Triceratops.
When was the last time you saw someone carrying a newspaper under their arm? Now how about the last time you saw someone with eyes glued to a smartphone?
Exactly. This is why next week’s print edition of the Voice of Muscatine will be the last on ink and paper. Don’t call it a goodbye, though. It’s more of an evolution. Unlike the dinosaurs, we’re adapting to a new climate, and delivering the news where most people go to find it: digitally.
The move allows us better use of our resources to bring you more news, and the latest news. It also lets us focus on what our business community wants and needs: a digitally-savvy platform to help get out the word about their good and services.
We’ll also be focusing on blending information across all of our products — radio stations AM 860/FM 95.1 KWPC and 93.1 the Buzz, their websites and VoiceofMuscatine.com.
Through advertising on radio and our websites, we’ll bring readers and businesses together, showcasing products and services you may otherwise never hear about.
Through our stories, we’ll continue to chronicle Muscatine daily history, the good and the bad, the charity drives and the car crashes, the student achievements and the funerals – news that may have never otherwise reached outside social circles.
To prepare for the new Voice of Muscatine, we’ve added sections to the website, offering news that matters to you, including agriculture, lifestyles, schools and sports. We’ve also created a dynamic Things to Do section, where you can add or own events and easily find events around town.
We’re in the process of launching a daily email newsletter with the day’s top headlines, so you’ll always have the latest at your fingertips.
And we’ll still let you have your voice on our pages, albeit webpages not print. Columns, guest editorials and letters to the editor will continue to appear under the Opinion tab.
Have any suggestions for our leap out of the Mesozoic Era of newspapers? Please let us know at mail@voiceofmuscatine.com.
And thank you for trusting us to take this step forward and leave those dinosaur footprints behind.
