The Eagle’s commitment to Wichita stronger than ever
Note: An earlier version of this column incorrectly attributed a quote to the wrong Ty Howard.
Dear Eagle readers:
Today marks a historic day in the long and rich history of The Wichita Eagle. It also marks a historic day in the transformation of our company.
Effective Monday morning, your Wichita Eagle will be printed for the first time in Kansas City.
You will notice a few changes to your Eagle on Monday. The size is slightly smaller. The type size is not. You will notice more color. Your old crossword puzzle will be back (along with the current one). Classified advertisements will be cleaner, bolder and easier to read.
We’re also launching an exciting new feature, Curious Wichita. We want you to tell us what you’re curious about. It works like this:
Readers submit their questions to us, and then readers vote on which questions our staff should investigate. If readers choose your question, you’re welcome to go along with our reporter as he or she seeks an answer to your question.
Why are we doing this? Because many of our best story ideas come from readers. We want to spend our time investigating what matters most to you.
What you won’t notice Monday is any change to the time you receive your Wichita Eagle each morning.
The decision to move our printing and packaging operations to Kansas City has been discussed and analyzed for a long time. The decision did not come easy.
This move makes perfect sense based on the direction the news and information industry is going. Print remains today a key part of our information delivery, but it is only one part.
Today’s Wichita Eagle/Kansas.com is a 24/7 multimedia company that is providing the best coverage in our region in multiple forms, when you want your news, where you want your news and how you want your news. We are a digital news company. That means that we are there when the news is happening, and we no longer wait for the print cycle to break it.
This is not new. Our news team, led by Sherry Chisenhall, is a leader in this arena and has been for a long time.
You will notice some shift in content emphasis for the printed Eagle as well. A focus on in-depth journalism that started with our print redesign last fall will increase.
Printed papers have not been the best format for breaking news for some time. Our print edition is focused on in-depth articles and stories about the people and events that are important to you. Our web sites and apps are where we’ll emphasize breaking, up-to-the-minute news.
Our commitment to Wichita and our commitment to Kansas are stronger than ever. Our commitment to being this community’s watchdog is stronger than ever. Our commitment to our readers is stronger than ever.
Additionally, our advertising team is providing this marketplace with print and digital advertising and marketing solutions that are state of the art and second to none.
The future of The Wichita Eagle and Kansas.com is exciting and bright. There are still challenges ahead.
Ty Howard, CEO and editor-in-chief of the online magazine Motivation and a nationally acclaimed motivational speaker, said, “To fear change is to fear being challenged. To fear being challenged is to fear growth and new possibilities.”
The Wichita Eagle’s best days are ahead, and we welcome growth and new possibilities.
I will close with three important points:
First, thank you to all of our readers. You’re why we do what we do, and we’re deeply grateful to you.
Next, a note about Wichita and Kansas. Like The Eagle, Wichita’s best days are ahead of us. Great things have happened here and are happening here. We are proud to be part of Wichita and look forward to being part of this community’s growth.
Finally, I want to say thank you to all of our employees. Each and every one comes in every day to serve you. Our employees exhibit the highest level of professionalism and integrity.
A special thanks to the men and women on our printing and packaging team who have served you every day and night for the last 144 years. They are true professionals and true artists. Their pride, dedication and passion for The Wichita Eagle shined through every day in their work, and we salute you all.
We welcome your feedback, and we know you aren’t bashful.
Thank you again.
Roy Heatherly, Publisher
This story was originally published May 29, 2016 at 6:36 AM with the headline "The Eagle’s commitment to Wichita stronger than ever."