Publisher’s Letter: January 2019

Dear North Forty News Reader,

Wishing you and yours the very best as the New Year unfolds!

We at NORTH FORTY NEWS recommit to bringing you the best of solution-driven, hyper-local news often not found elsewhere.

Looking back, notwithstanding its challenges, 2018 was a great year!

In the past 12 months we’ve brought you articles on over 25 local businesses as well as over 30 non-profit and non-business entities as varied as Red Feather Lakes Community Library, The Coalition for the Poudre River Water Shed, Colorado Department of Transportation, Fort Collins Bike Co-op, Foothills Gateway, Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, TeamRubiconUSA.org (a non-governmental, non-profit that works with veterans to remediate natural disasters around the world — their motto: “Disasters are our business. Veterans are our passion.”), the Livermore Elementary School, the Wellington Middle School, Historic Larimer County (a new historical society), and Hide in Plain Sight (addressing student homelessness). In addition, we provided a 4-month cover story series on the Poudre River written by Gary Raham, our science writer, and enhanced by the stunning photography of nature photographer and award-winning conservationist, John Fielder — and that’s just the short list!

In addition to increased coverage of newsworthy stories, we have enhanced our services to both subscribers and advertisers. Print ads are also included on our expanded website and we have a new service called “Live Market” in which you can check in during the day, change your message and check the number of click-throughs as well as how many viewers proceeded to your website.

Also, North Forty News now offers to our subscribers and online supporters, through signing up for the online Daily Digest, a link to the exact replica of our monthly print edition — the clarity of those online photos is really impressive!

Let’s not forget, this time last year North Forty News purchased SCENE Magazine. We had a tremendous year bringing the New SCENE back. My team revived it too, one that has a nearly 30 year reputation in Northern Colorado.

Now, with our growth, I’m proud to announce the hiring of Cynthia Wilson as the Managing Editor for both North Forty News and the New SCENE. With Cynthia at the “helm,” she is taking both publications into a new chapter.

Many of our most loyal and supportive readers know that since the advent of the internet, all print journalism has been challenged for its very survival.

When out and about in communities we cover throughout Northern Colorado, I run into readers who appreciate our publications. In many areas around Northern Colorado we are the only media that desires to share and deliver their news. It’s important to them. 

Added to the increased costs of doing business was the tariff placed on Canadian newsprint last January 2018. Eventually passed onto us, our costs for both publications skyrocketed by 30 percent. Voted down in recent months we are hoping our printing costs return to what they were last year (fingers crossed on that).

Just a year and a half ago, in June 2017, North Forty News and the New SCENE were going under. I can say now I have re-established your community publications with a very talented team. But we still need support from our community.

So in addition to asking our business readers to check out the many options for advertising with us (beginning with $19 a month for a Classified Ad in North Forty News), we ask our readers to either become subscribers or support us through contributing just $1 (or more) a month. Remind our advertisers that you saw their ad in our publications and encourage others to support us.

With your support, we look forward to an exciting year of growth. My commitment is to continue to expand coverage of the stories that matter to you and the people in our community we know are making a difference.