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[ Originally published on: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 ]
NORTHAMPTON - In one of the biggest changes in our 220-year history, the Gazette will become a morning newspaper in September.
The change is planned to better serve our busy readers by making the paper available all day.
The Gazette has always been published in the afternoon, except for Saturday and holiday papers, which have been delivered in the morning since 1972. The change reflects the trend in the newspaper industry.
With store and home delivery in the morning, the Gazette will be available to those who want to start their day with the news. Those who prefer to read the paper later in the day can still do that. The change will allow readers to better fit the Gazette into their daily routine.
The decision to deliver the Gazette earlier in the day follows several months of study and discussion among the newspaper's managers and staff.
The change is driven by what we have heard from readers and by changing lifestyles and schedules that leave people with less leisure time in the evening to read the paper.
An all-day paper, delivered first thing in the morning, means more opportunities throughout the day to keep up with local news and sports, enjoy features and people profiles, check out help wanted and other classified listings, and review calendars and other announcements for events of interest.
Earlier publication will also benefit consumers who want to look for advertised specials at the start of the day. Providing subscribers with more time to read the Gazette will also benefit businesses that advertise in the newspaper.
The change reflects a trend among newspapers over several decades, according to data from the Newspaper Association of America.
In the early 1980s, 75 percent of America's daily newspapers were published in the afternoon. Conversion of papers from afternoon to morning publication escalated in the 1990s, and by 2000 the number published in the morning dominated. The shift from afternoon to morning publication schedules has continued since then.
The Gazette will continue to have complete coverage of local news, sports and business. Whether it's the results of local college or high school sporting events, a decision by a city council or school committee, or overnight breaking news, we'll be delivering the same stories we do now, just a lot earlier in the day.
The Gazette will also be available on GazetteNET first thing in the morning, and stories will be added and updated online throughout the day.
While no major changes are planned in our local news coverage, we will continue our efforts to make the Gazette better organized and more useful and interesting to readers. We welcome your suggestions.
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