By: Dillon Thompson
Last month, The Messenger team received an email from KDA, the company that has published our neighborhood magazine since 2014. The message informed us that KDA would no longer be able to continue publishing The Messenger. Here’s what that means for readers:
- January’s Messenger issue will be the last printed edition in our current format.
- Going forward, The Messenger will live primarily as a digital publication, with frequent email newsletters to replace our current print issues.
- In order to ensure that as many people receive these emails as possible, the CPNO board will be launching a large-scale effort to collect email addresses from every household in the neighborhood.
Unfortunately, the future of The Messenger is not as simple as finding a new publisher, because our deal with KDA was extremely convenient and cost-effective. We were essentially printing and distributing the magazine for free, with KDA using ads to supplement its costs.
This does not mean, however, that you will never see a print edition of The Messenger again. The CPNO board is aware of and sympathetic to the fact that many residents do not frequently use email or social media, while others simply prefer the feeling of a real, tangible magazine in their hands.
The Board has discussed a number of options, but we invite all residents to voice their concerns at this month’s CPNO membership meeting on Monday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. You can click here for more info on how to attend.
Similarly, residents are welcome to send feedback, questions, and thoughts to: editor@candlerpark.org. Additionally, please let us know if you’d like to help collect emails, so our digital publication can reach as many residents as possible.
This decision is not one we made for ourselves, but it’s one we intend to make the most of. To do that, we will be tracking data on our online, email, and social content to ensure that the new program is working. If we get data to the contrary, we can reconsider our options at any time. As mentioned above, our first priority is massively expanding our current email list.
You can also expect to receive more frequent and higher-quality updates on the CPNO website, as well as our Instagram and Facebook pages.
This is an ongoing issue, but for now, I’d like to thank Shari Golla, who put together so many wonderful issues of this magazine, and whose hard work made The Messenger what it is today. I’d also like to thank John Fleming, who has spearheaded our efforts to find a way forward.
We will continue to update readers as we know more.
Dillon Thompson is a one-year resident of Candler Park and serves as editor of The Messenger.