We began a journey with you nearly 12 years ago, to deal with the cataclysm that was then on the horizon for the newspaper industry, with our ultimate destination being a thriving news environment beyond the era of printed editions. Our company, Advance Local, had the foresight to understand that cataclysm. We reduced Plain Dealer delivery days and invested heavily in online journalism. Because of the work we’ve done to build a sustainable newsroom in the digital era, we are prepared for when the next journey begins, after the printed newspaper ceases to exist. This is not a column to announce the end of print in Cleveland. The print business remains healthy for us, and we’ll keep printing Plain Dealers for as long as that remains so, but you surely can see we are closing in on a day without print. Some of the big changes we’ve made in the past couple of months – to our e-newspaper platform, comics and puzzles – are in preparation for that day. Our hope, of course, is that you continue accompanying us. We will continue serving you news, entertainment and sports stories, via cleveland.com, podcasts, social media and any emerging platforms. When it comes to The Plain Dealer, which remains a beloved institution, we hope readers will continue engaging with the digital version when the print version is gone. I understand, however, that some will not. I’ve been hearing from them, in response to our recent changes. We’ve expanded our comics and puzzles in print, but we’ve added a lot more to the e-newspaper. The hardline print readers don’t like that. All that matters to them is what’s in print, and they say they will cease to subscribe when we stop printing. I find that sad. If you pay to subscribe, you surely get enjoyment from the content we provide. Why deprive yourself of something you enjoy just because the format changes? For perspective, I’m an old print guy. I started reading newspapers in grade school, read more than one a day when I was in high school and learned about responsibility delivering them as a kid. My first job was at a weekly paper with a big warehouse out back filled with hot metal printing machines. The paper was printed by more modern methods by then, but the wondrous contraptions out back were still used to print sample ballots for all voters in the county. Seeing the old printers use those machines was a privilege. (Watch a great movie about them here) I’m of the last generation of journalists with printers’ ink in my veins. Despite all that, I stopped reading the printed edition of The Plain Dealer about 15 years ago. I switched to the e-newspaper, and I never looked back. A tablet is so much more convenient than a big floppy page, and I don’t have to worry about sharing newspaper sections as I read. Anyone in my family can read it at the same time. I’ve heard from elderly subscribers who say who say reading an e-newspaper is too challenging. I hope they give it another chance. I’m not as old as some readers I hear from, but my dad was, and he embraced computers from the start. He bought the first model of the Apple McIntosh, with a whopping 128k of memory, and loved experiencing advances in technology. He died a decade ago, and he had been reading newspapers and magazines on screens for years. Age does not have to be a barrier here. Our focus as a newsroom has to be on our subscribers who want to continue the journey with us beyond the age of print. We’ve been working to convert readers to the e-newspaper, partly by loading it up with extra content that we cannot fit into the print edition. We’ve heard for many who like the recent changes and are glad we keep trying to improve. As I said, though, I’ve received some complaints. Some want us to restore one of the few comics we dropped. Others want puzzles and television listings we moved to the e-newspaper back in print. I wish they were not unhappy with the changes, but as I explained a few weeks ago, we made them in collaboration with our sister Advance Local newspapers. One reason we are able to offer such an expanded line up of comics, puzzle and advice columns is through efficiency. Each newspaper in the company has the same lineup now, meaning we don’t have to design dozens and dozens of pages every day. To come up with the lineup, we scored every comic strip based on how many papers in the company used it. We took the top 100 each weekday and the top 40 on Sundays, and that became the list. Every market gave up a few to reach the consensus. The lineup is set. We don’t plan to alter it. If you have not tried reading the newspaper in its digital form, I hope that you will. It’s a richer experience, and if you get used to it, you might just keep reading it after we stop printing newspapers. (Coming soon: the ability to do most of the puzzles in the e-newspaper.) Whether or not you stay with us when we stop printing papers, though, please know we are grateful for the support you have provided all these years. It’s why we are still here with a bright future. We don’t take for granted that you have welcomed us into your homes every day. We cherish that we have been a part of your lives as much as we cherish you being a part of ours. We wish we could have printed newspapers into eternity, because of your love of them and their financial success, but times have changed. To continue doing our vital work, we had no choice but to change with them. Can you? I’m at cquinn@cleveland.com Thanks for reading. | 