From the editor: Inside the more digital future of the Columbia Daily Tribune

The evolution of phones presents a parallel of sorts to newspapers.

Landline phones used to be in almost every American home as the only option to make or receive a call.

Then came cell phones, which, as we all know, changed the game entirely. The early stages of flip phones morphed into iteration after iteration of new iPhones and Androids. These smartphones now essentially serve as pocket computers that many people primarily use for texting and social media more than actually making phone calls.

Landlines still exist and serve their purpose, remaining in about 30% of households, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. But there are many more ways to make a call nowadays (not to mention Zoom) than before the turn of the millennium.

The list is long of things that used to be commonplace before the emergence of new technology that many view as easier and more convenient.

The Tribune is embracing these ever-changing times with a focus on the future.

Earlier this month we announced we will change to publishing three print editions per week starting in July, while continuing to produce an e-Edition every day, as we adapt to significant shifts in reader habits. We remain committed as ever to providing our community the news, sports and entertainment coverage it relies on.

More: Columbia Daily Tribune making change to print delivery schedule starting in July

We sincerely appreciate our longtime subscribers for whom the paper is a staple in their daily routine. We understand many from this group will have the hardest time with this transition and are here to help. All print subscribers have full digital access at columbiatribune.com or one of our mobile apps. This access includes the e-Edition, a digital replica of the paper, that will maintain the same style and design as our current product. You can reach a local customer service representative at 573-815-1615 with any questions related to the upcoming change.

This decision comes as much of our audience has already gravitated online. For every person who prefers reading the Tribune in print, there is an increasing number of those whose primary method for consuming our content is not even on their computer but on their smartphone or tablet. This change, which we believe best allocates our resources to serve Columbia well into the future, is an effort to find a sweet spot where we best reach readers and potential readers through every means at our disposal.

The days that we will continue to publish and deliver print editions — Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays — will feature some of our best enterprise reporting available only to subscribers both in print and online. Whether it's city government, public safety, education or Mizzou and high school athletics, our team will have you covered 24/7, with daily email newsletters that can be sent to your inbox, notifications from our app to your smartphone or tablet, and subscriber access to our e-Edition seven days a week.

More: Learn how to use the Columbia Daily Tribune e-Edition

There will be a few additional content changes to make note of this summer. Perhaps most notably, we will reserve opinion content for Sundays, focusing a weekly page on local and state subjects and less on national content. Starting June 1, we will no longer have an opinion page on other days, a change mirrored across about 200 publications in the USA Today Network, as we invest our time and energy into local news reporting.

As I have shared with our staff, whose jobs are not affected by these changes, the best thing we can do and will do is continue to tell the stories that matter most to our area.

We will take the opportunity twice a week in June to introduce (or reintroduce) our newsroom staff to our readers with columns highlighting each member of our team. Our 10 full-time journalists are your neighbors, proud to call mid-Missouri our home.

Whether you use a landline or have an iPhone 13 Pro Max, we will continue to work diligently for you.

Kevin Graeler is managing editor of the Tribune. You can reach him at kgraeler@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1786.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: From the editor: Inside digital future of the Columbia Daily Tribune