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