Ames Tribune to change print publication schedule in July to three days a week

From staff reports
·3 min read

In response to readers' rapid shift to digital news consumption, The Ames Tribune will change its print publication schedule starting in July to three days a week: Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.

Tribune Editor Gage Church emphasized that the Tribune news staff will continue to cover the news of Ames, Story County and the surrounding region every day, delivered through the amestrib.com website, social media channels and email newsletters.

Predecessors of the Tribune, owned by Gannett and part of the USA Today Network, date to 1868. This change will allow the Tribune staff to continue its legacy of serving the Ames community but better meet the needs of readers who increasingly engage with the Tribune's content online, Church said.

“This decision is a response to ongoing shifts in how people are consuming news,” he said. “We champion the importance of local journalism and are proud to continue providing news that Ames-area readers want and need about city and county government, schools, the business community, entertainment, prep sports and Iowa State University and its athletic teams."

More: Gage Church is named editor of the Ames Tribune

Subscription rates will be reduced for most seven-day home-delivery customers. Details will be available in a letter arriving in early June.

“We appreciate the deep loyalty of our longtime print subscribers," Church said. "Our print newspaper remains an important part of our business strategy while we at the same time respond to evolving reader habits.”

Shannon Welch, who supervises advertising sales across Iowa, said the changes will serve readers and advertisers.

"Our sales executives look forward to continuing to assist Ames-area advertisers with our print publications and digital marketing solutions to help them grow their customer base,” he said.

The news staff will step up its focus on more robust digital offerings, Church said.

Already, the Tribune’s Daily Briefing newsletter arrives each morning to readers’ email inbox, providing the top headlines to start the day and a link to access the e-Edition, a digital replica of the paper available to home-delivery and digital-only subscribers via the Tribune's website.

Church encouraged Ames-area residents who don't already subscribe to the Tribune to consider doing so. Digital subscriptions to the Tribune, available for an introductory offer of $1 for six months, offer access to subscriber-only stories, video and more.

All Tribune print subscribers receive full access to all digital content. And all subscribers, whether digital-only or also receiving home delivery, have around-the-clock access to obituaries, legal notices and classifieds on the Tribune's website.

As part of this transition, the Tribune has made several upgrades to its e-Edition, which provides readers with the familiar page-turning experience of print. Subscribers can read and browse sections; clip and share articles with friends and family; adjust the text size; and access previous editions published within the last 30 days.

Among the new benefits:

  • Subscribers now get universal access to hundreds of e-Editions throughout the USA Today Network in cities across the country, including the Des Moines Register, Iowa City Press-Citizen and Burlington Hawk Eye in Iowa.

  • Subscribers also get ad-free, 24/7 access to the USA Today Crossword puzzle at puzzles.usatoday.com or through the USA TODAY Crossword app.

  • In addition, subscribers will continue to have access to the Nation & World Extra and Sports Extra e-Edition sections each day, providing late game results and updated news from around the world.

Subscribers can access the e-Edition by simply clicking on E-Edition in the menu at the top of the Tribune's website or by going to amestrib.com/eedition.

The final publication dates for the Tribune’s Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday print editions will be Tuesday, June 28; Thursday, June 30; and Saturday, July 2.

No staff reductions are planned as part of this transition. The news and sales staffs will continue their work, with a greater digital focus.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ames Tribune to change its print publication schedule to 3 days a week