To borrow a song from crooner Barry Manilow, this one’s for you. Welcome back to the Saturday print edition of The Garden Island. It’s been more than two years since TGI last delivered a Saturday paper to doorsteps and newspaper racks
To borrow a song from crooner Barry Manilow, this one’s for you.
Welcome back to the Saturday print edition of The Garden Island. It’s been more than two years since TGI last delivered a Saturday paper to doorsteps and newspaper racks through Kauai. No doubt, we’re going against modern wisdom in making this move. After all, we all know print is dead. Right? And if it’s not dead yet, then it’s going to be because everything is on the web these days, including us. We’re willing to bet we’re the only newspaper in the United States that added a day of print circulation. Frankly, it’s unheard of and frankly, a lot of folks are pointing at us and saying, “you’re going the wrong way!”
A friend put it bluntly when he asked, “Why are you doing this?”
Good question. Let’s explain.
We can start with this: Kauai deserves a newspaper seven days a week. There’s just too much going on, too many important events, to not deliver a Saturday paper to your door. We believe there is an increased demand in reporting from TGI, a paper that’s been around since 1902. We have to step up and do better. You shouldn’t have to wait until Sunday to read coverage of a Friday game in The Garden Island. You shouldn’t have to wait until Sunday to find out what went on around the island Friday. We want to cover the local communities better than anyone, better than any publication, and a Saturday paper will help us do exactly that.
To those who say they can just get news anywhere online, we agree. You can. But you can’t get daily news about Kauai anywhere online. Our goal is to provide a product you need, and that you can’t find anywhere else. The Garden Island has been and remains Kauai’s main source of information and we intend to keep it that way. When it comes to covering community events, being at Kauai County Council meetings, hiking the Kalalau Trail or checking on reports of coral disease on the North Shore, we’re there. From grade school boys and girls shooting hoops to varsity high school sports to swimming and running, we’re there. A play, a musical, a drama, a comedy show? You’ll read about it here.
From a business standpoint, returning to daily publication makes sense. What we were telling people when the Saturday paper was eliminated in May 2012 was that it wasn’t necessary. We were in a sense telling our customers, you don’t need a newspaper every day. That’s the last message we want to send to our customers. We want to part of your lives. As well, we have confidence in the economy. We believe the business community will grow. We want to not just be part of that growth, but stimulate it, as well.
While we’re talking about finances, a monthly subscription to TGI is a great buy. Yep, for around $10 a month you get a paper delivered to your door every day. There is not a better deal on the island. If you’re not a subscriber, you can get started for three months for $19.99, not even $7 a month. The coupons and ads inside will more than pay for your subscription.
Besides the return of your Saturday TGI, we also unveiled our new design today. It’s clean and crisp. The presentation is pleasing and the organization improved. We hope you like it. Please, let us know what you think. And on that note, if there’s something you want to see in TGI that’s not there, let us know. If you have an idea for a story or photo, let us know. We want to hear from you. As a matter of act, we’re counting on you.
If you want more evidence of our commitment to provide the best service possible to Kauai, here’s a recap of what’s happened since Oahu Publications purchased The Garden Island in early 2013:
• OPI’s state-of-the-art production technology and more accessible digital options, as well as implementing the business model that has been successfully employed with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
• The Garden Island subscribers also now have access to Honolulu Star-Advertiser online premium content, including print replicas, and free access to the Washington Post online edition.
• On July 6, Parade magazine became the new Sunday insert magazine in The Garden Island.
• The improvements to The Garden Island have allowed the Kauai newspaper to maintain market penetration and readership.
If you’re holding this Saturday print edition of The Garden Island in your hands, we say thank you. We’re glad to be back.
