SEPTEMBER 12 • 2019 | 5
letters
Disappointed in HMC
What a disappointment the
Holocaust Memorial Center
has become (“Unexpected
Visitors,” Aug. 29, page 16).
I was led to believe that the
purpose of the HMC was
to preserve and protect the
memory of the more than 6
million Jews murdered in the
Holocaust by the National
Socialist German Workers
Party (Nazis). Yet, the HMC
did not condemn the use of
its building as a backdrop
for a protest by the Close the
Camps group, comparing
detention camps for illegal
continued on page 8
Arthur Horwitz
Views
publisher’
s notebook
Jewish News: New Format, Ongoing Commitment
In Midst of Dramatic Industry Changes
T
o our readers, advertisers
and community:
The media industry
stands in the midst of dramatic
change. Established business
models are being tested as com-
panies, including the Jewish
News, balance your preference
— to hold a pub-
lication in your
hands — with
those who only
want to receive
information on
their electronic
devices.
For you, the Jewish News is
now a full-fledged magazine with
no ink rub-off on your hands
or clothing. It is in a convenient
size with a longer shelf life and
easier-to-read typefaces.
A new format represents our
ongoing commitment to provide
you with a publication of quality
— visually and substantively. We
may be the only weekly publi-
cation in Michigan — perhaps
the country — that is battling
the headwinds of industry-wide
contraction with an upgraded
printed product.
Today, content from the
Jewish News is viewed by more
people than at any time since its
founding in 1942. In addition
to print readers, our website
thejewishnews.com is approach-
ing 100,000 unique visitors per
month. And our social media
platforms, particularly Facebook
and Instagram, bring additional
visitors who often engage inten-
sively with each other on the hot
issues of the day.
Our industry’
s vexing chal-
lenge remains providing valuable
content to our community in
the ways they want to receive it
— print and digital — when the
bulk of revenue to pay for it all
is generated by a declining and
difficult-to-replace part of our
industry’
s business model.
In the coming weeks and
months, I’
ll be sharing additional
media industry insights with
you, how they impact the Jewish
News and our likely path forward
to a sustainable future.
For now, here are some of the
realities driving change:
Advertising — think of ads
you see from auto dealers,
financial institutions, Jewish
communal organizations, health
care systems, assisted living facil-
ities, Realtors, etc. That accounts
for 80 percent to 85 percent of
Jewish News revenue.
The amount of space for news
and information in our publica-
tion is determined by the volume
of advertising sold. As advertis-
ing volume declines, so does the
amount of space for content.
There is more news than ever to
cover in our community. There
is just less room and less eco-
nomic capability to do so.
Google and Facebook capture
87 percent of all global digital
advertising revenue. Every news
outlet competes for the remain-
ing 13 percent. Virtually none of
it goes to us to counterbalance
losses we experience in print
advertising.
Several American media com-
panies are transitioning to non-
profit organizations, enabling the
communities they serve to help
support their work via contribu-
tions and grants.
In this hyper-partisan era of
“fake news” and “alternative
facts,” we strive to continue to be
your trusted, credible informa-
tion source — one that connects
Jewish Detroiters to each other
and the world around us. Today’
s
Jewish News represents the latest
chapter in our evolution. It will
not be the last. Future chapters
will likely include you as our
partners in community building.
Please stay tuned.
We value your readership,
business, comments and the
opportunity to serve you.
Arthur Horwitz
Publisher & Executive Editor