Thursday, May 1

The Chronicle's issues

Please take a look at our publisher's letter to our readers about the Chronicle's future, which will start down a new path when we print our last weekly issue on May 15. Here's a brief excerpt:
In an effort to best serve Larimer County’s changing media needs, we will publish our final weekly print installment of the current incarnation of the paper on May 15. But this letter is not an obituary — merely a request for a sabbatical, to re-evaluate how best to serve the needs of our readers and the needs of the dedicated staff.
Read the whole letter at the paper's Website, and then drop us thoughts in the comments section below (or send them along to letters@rmchronicle.com) about what you believe the future of alternative and independent media is in Northern Colorado.

Thanks to our loyal paper, online and Holla readers and supporters.

5 comments:

Gerald Ford said...

How can those of us who believe in the Chronicle help you through this transition?

Joshua Zaffos said...

Right now, we are asking readers why they value the Chronicle and independent and alternative media in Fort Collins and the surrounding region.

We're gathering comments and letters via email at letters@rmchronicle.com and are also hoping people will weigh in with thoughts here at Holla.

Gerald Ford said...

I value the Chronicle for a lot of reasons. Most of all I value the creativity that the Chronicle brings to the local media. Everything from the creative covers to the unique stories the Chronicle continues to bring a different voice to the area.

As a citizen of Fort Collins the Chronicle is a valuable tool for being educated about what is happening in the community. And I always appreciated that there were no stories about yesterday's weather.

I shake my fist at the sky and ask why does my weekly printed Chronicle go away and Lydia's Style continues to kill trees. Why!!

vanessa said...

You're not alone in your sentiment, Zaf, but it's becoming clear that an online literacy campaign is needed in this community. Folks are online, but they're not yet taking time to register for comment, which is essential to keeping the conversation relevant and at least courteous (unlike the Coloradoan's comments, for example).

Bloggers like you and us, and a few others in the community, can have an impact if we get out and show people that participating in online media (even if that simply means relying on it for news headlines, and not contributing) isn't something to be afraid of. In fact, as we have, they'll quickly find the rewards can be so much more satisfying and informative.

Other communities are doing this with great success (see Minnesota Post, aka MinnPost, The Voice of San Diego, and even the Jackson Free Press, an altweekly whose heart and soul is their website.)

Julie Sutter said...

(Brace yourselves for the tome ...)
About 2 months ago, after several hours of us drinking together, a local non-Chronicle journalist got the courage to look me foggily in the eye and blurt out "HEY - how come you love the Chronicle so much?" After assuring this person that it had very little to do with the mutual promotional relationship my business had with the Chronicle (for which I was extremely grateful, but not beholden - nobody can force me to READ, after all), I blurted back "because of their LOCAL-nesh!" The journalist pointed out that the Chronicle didn't totally have the corner on the local news market (true), so then I said "yeahbut, at least it's not all WIRE. Yech." But that wasn't exactly it, either. "Their writing is just so well done," I said, and by this time I was sounding a little lame even to my drunken-ass self. I mean, there is some good writing being done at other papers in Fort Collins - though not always consistently enough to suit my taste - so that argument didn't make much sense either. Anyway, I decided that nothing makes much sense when you start drinking mimosas at 9am and you've moved on to Jameson by 3pm, so we both let the subject drop. Of course, now the question is back, and I've decided to try to answer it a little bit more clearly. Why I love the Chronicle so much, it turns out, really is about the writing, but here's the thing: it's because I want more than just intelligent writing. I want creative writing, too. As shallow as it sounds, if I'm going to spend the time to be informed, I'd better damn well be entertained at the same time. Here's an example: I think I even told Mr. Zaffos this at the time, but I was reading his "Our Chemical Romance" article, totally engrossed, feeling myself getting smarter by the minute, when suddenly, I also got to snort with laughter. I can't remember if it was "less clinically known as the taint" that did it first, or something being referred to as "the O.G.", but I laughed right out loud, right in the midst of being informed. I LOVE THAT. And I thought, well, there it is. That's why I love the Chronicle so much. And it's why I loved the Bullhorn, too, and was so distraught when I found out that one was off the stands. And it's not just one writer or one article, either - it's happened lots of times, and THAT is what made me go looking for the paper every Thursday (and even calling your offices a little hysterically if the rack I was standing in front of hadn't been replenished yet), and that's why I was running all over town gushing about the Chronicle. In a nutshell, I think independent and alternative media can combine intelligent writing with CLEVER writing, and to me, that's worth my time. I'm not saying that every story should have a punchline in it somewhere, just that if you can make me laugh and you can make me think, I'm happy and devoted. I really really hate that the last print issue is out this week, and I hope you will find a future for intelliclever journalism in Fort Collins. Let me know how I can help!