Centre Daily Times to change print schedule as digital transition evolves

The Centre Daily Times’ journey toward a more digitally focused, sustainable future will take its biggest step yet later this year.

We will transition to a 24/7 digital product with two days of high-quality print editions beginning June 17.

The print editions will publish Wednesdays and Sundays and will continue to be delivered by mail. The Sunday newspaper will arrive on Saturday as it has since last year. Single copies of the Sunday edition will be available at select retail locations.

The electronic edition — we call it the Edition for short — will continue to publish seven days a week at CentreDaily.com and in our digital app. And we’re very excited about a new, improved Edition that will be in place soon.

Of course, we’ll continue to publish news digitally throughout the day, every day.

This marks another key move for us in the digital transition of the news industry. It’s also a vital step toward the sustainability of the Centre Daily Times, which, at 126 years old, is one of Centre County’s oldest institutions.

We plan to be here for decades to come, but to do that it’s critical that we adapt to the digital world. Increasingly, Centre County residents get their news from their phones, tablets and computers.

With that trend in mind, we’ve become much more digitally focused and have intensified that approach to where readers of CentreDaily.com or our Edition often see our best work before print readers. Since last year, our Edition has often included stories that were published after our print deadline or that appear in print at a later date.

It’s important to note that with this change, nothing about our journalists’ commitment to Centre County will change. We hold the powerful to account and keep residents up to date with essential news and information that affects their lives.

Just this month, reporter Bret Pallotto had exclusive coverage of turmoil within the Bellefonte Police Department, including the sudden resignation of the police chief. Reporter Keely Doll served as a watchdog during a public meeting where attendees were asked to keep private the names of Bellefonte superintendent finalists — all public employees vying for a public position.

As a service journalism reporter, which is a position we added to our newsroom last year, Matt DiSanto provided all the information you needed for this week’s solar eclipse.

And our investment in the community continues.

Reporter Jacob Michael joined our newsroom in February as our newest hire. He hit the ground running on the local government beat, reporting on transparency issues and resignations on Milesburg Borough Council. After his March 19 “Reality Check” story on Milesburg requiring meeting attendees to get permission to film public meetings — a violation of the Sunshine Act — the policy was changed.

“Reality Check” is one of four new initiatives I wrote to readers about last week, delivering content we’ve heard our readers are looking for more of. Other initiatives provide stories about what makes living in Centre County special, and those that give our readers an inside look at new restaurants, landmarks and experiences.

If you’re already a subscriber, thank you for supporting the work we do and investing in local journalism. We can’t do it without you. To maximize all the content we’re providing, I encourage you to activate your digital access at CentreDaily.com/activate.

If you aren’t a subscriber, I graciously ask for you to support our newsroom. Your dollars mean we can continue to deliver the consequential content you value and demand.

Your subscription helps us maintain our commitment to be the strong, independent local news source that Centre County deserves.

In the coming days, subscribers will receive a note from our customer service team regarding next steps. If you have questions, contact them at (888) 237-3801.

Also, stay tuned for information about a free subscriber forum to learn about our digital products and meet our team of local journalists.

Please know of my personal commitment to continue to serve Centre County. We’re grateful for your support as we embark on another chapter in response to the growing digital needs of readers who are hungry for fair, fearless local content.

Thank you, as always, for reading and supporting local journalism.

Jessica McAllister is the executive editor of the Centre Daily Times. She has been an editor at the CDT since 2015.