What I love about the River Valley & Ozark Edition and the work our small team does is that we highlight the bright spots in the areas we cover. We put people front and center and focus on events that make our communities shine.
A great story can bring people together, help us understand one another and motivate us to do better. I know we share those kinds of stories in these pages. In affirmation, we’ve received countless emails, calls and handwritten letters of appreciation from readers over the years.
High-quality journalism and storytelling throughout the various sections of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is what has kept subscribers loyal as the newspaper has embarked on an exciting evolution from print to the digital replica.
As we continue to embrace this conversion to reading the news on our iPads, tablets, computers and smartphones, beginning next Sunday, the River Valley & Ozark Edition will no longer be available in print. The future is digital, so that’s where we’ll be.
You’ll still find River Valley & Ozark Edition stories about the people and events that make a difference in the counties and cities we cover every Sunday in pages of the digital replica. You’ll continue to be able to share those stories and photos with your friends and family on social media, too.
Special sections — such as our Diamond Roundup, football and basketball previews, and publications that explore the counties and communities in the coverage area — will be printed.
Some of our advertisers have already begun to take advantage of digital features in the replica that allow readers to click links to websites and social-media accounts, even display videos and interactive graphics. We’re able to take advantage of those benefits, as well, in our storytelling, and we look forward to doing more of that. As you can imagine, we reach a larger statewide audience in the digital replica than the printed editions did with home delivery. You may begin to see that stories about the events happening in your town help to bring in more people from all over the state.
There are some other great aspects of the digital replica that I enjoy that you may not have considered:
• Photo quality and color are superior.
• You can download or digitally clip your favorite stories.
• Under “Options,” you can set alerts for your city or other keywords of interest.
• Changing your display view is easy, and you can zoom to your size preference.
• You can quickly email links to stories you want to share.
• Click “Jump lines” to continue reading the rest of a story without fumbling around with pages.
• When you find out you missed a story you want to read, you’ve got access to the archive.
There are more benefits to tout, but if you haven’t tried it yet, now is the time to call (501) 378-3847. Plus, you get a free iPad to use as long as you subscribe, with no long-term obligation.
As editor, there’s one thing that I can assure you: The River Valley & Ozark Edition will continue to bring you stories that reflect the interesting people, places and events that make our communities vibrant bright spots.