As The N&O continues to reimagine local news, thanks for being a good neighbor
Our northwest Raleigh neighborhood encompasses one winding street that resembles a drunken figure eight, two remote gates that work when Jupiter aligns with Mars, and a small dog park with a little free library.
It takes about 12 minutes to walk the figure eight — and explains why I can humble-brag about the growth in neighborhood News & Observer subscriptions since December (which coincidentally is when we moved in).
When you’re the new couple in a small neighborhood filled with retirees, EVERYONE is kind but curious AND wants to visit.
You’re new! Where are you from? Why are you here? And why don’t you have dogs?
My sweet wife is why subscriptions are up in our now-knowing enclave. She is enthusiastic about telling new best friends that we moved here because of the Triangle and The N&O.
We enjoy life here.
Saturday mornings mean breakfast at comfy places like Elmo’s Diner in Durham or Carolina Coffee Shop in Chapel Hill. We’re repeat customers at the North Carolina State Farmers Market. We’re thrilled with so many places to hike, enchanted by the sprawling campuses, and thankful for outdoor gems such as the Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park and Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
Reimagining local news
But we came because of The N&O and the company’s commitment to reimagining local news.
Sharif Durhams, former managing editor who is now at The Washington Post, explained the commitment a year ago: “We recently asked what you’d like to see more of in The N&O and The Herald-Sun. … You ordered everything on the menu.”
The N&O also announced enhanced print editions on Sundays and Wednesdays to include explainers on key topics and QR codes to new digital offerings. Another change: A new reporting team focused on explaining our communities and answering vital questions.
A year later, everything that we promised continues to be delivered.
Some loyal subscribers needed time to get used to design changes in the Sunday and Wednesday editions. As the new editor during these changes, y’all questioned my ability to differentiate gum from wrapper.
UNC readers/alums thought I must have gone to N.C. State. N.C. State alums thought I must have attended UNC. Duke types figured I couldn’t spell C-O-A-C-H-K.
One way we measure audience success is whether someone clicks on a story and decides to subscribe. Among the most-subscribed reports since September 2021 – when we promised deeper, reimagined stories delivered for print and digital — include five areas to watch for growth in the Triangle, lack of controls at a Garner psychiatric center, and the changing faces of the state’s Republican Party.
Our “reimagined” front-page stories on Sundays and Wednesdays have leaned on the economy, state government and politics, and North Carolina public-policy issues. The investigative series “Security for Sale” included an exclusive analysis of how Wall Street firms are buying North Carolina homes and squeezing renters financially.
Friendly ‘know-it-alls’
Our new Service Journalism team is led by the brilliant Brooke Cain and includes talented journalists Kimberly Cataudella and Korie Dean — tackling everything from hurricanes to HOAs, winter wonderment to woodpecker woes. (If you’re a newcomer, sign up for a free Expert Guide to the Triangle authored by Brooke and a team of friendly know-it-alls. It’s a must-read.)
I thank you for being subscribers. For sticking with us. For trying us. For believing in local journalism.
My wife knows that if newspapers are piled up in a driveway, we’re pausing our 12-minute walk to put them in a safe, dry place on the porch or near the garage door.
That’s what neighbors do.
Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer. He no longer chews gum. He reached the quarterfinals of a fourth-grade spelling bee.
