SEPTEMBER 26 • 2019 | 5

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publisher’
s notebook

Rosh Hashanah 5780
Jewish News: New beginnings and expectations.
W

ith the approach of
Rosh Hashanah and
the Days of Awe,
we reflect upon the past and
pray for a peaceful, healthy and
fulfilling future. We feel a spe-
cial connection
with those who
have influenced
our lives and are
no longer with
us … perhaps
by concocting
one of Bubbie’
s
favorite holiday
recipes from a
handwritten index card or drap-
ing Zaydie’
s mothball-scented
tallit on our shoulders at syn-
agogue services. We also look
at our children and grandchil-
dren, imagining a world for
them with less anger, strife and
anti-Semitism.
Though the Jewish News has
been serving our community
since 1942, this Rosh Hashanah
feels like a new beginning for
us. As dramatic changes disrupt
the media industry, we remain
committed to providing you
with a publication of continu-
ing quality and credibility —
for the first time in an all-glossy,
magazine-style format.
Also indicative of this new
beginning is the growth of our
digital and social media content
and offerings. Today, the Jewish
News operates more like a daily
news enterprise with regular
updates. While our collective
print and digital offerings now
reach more people than at any
time in our 77-year history, our
industry remains dependent on
an old-school economic model
that relies on a declining vol-
ume of print advertising to pay
for it all. At a time when there
is more news to cover than ever,
declining print advertising pages
cause corresponding declines in
pages for news content.

There is growth in digital
advertising, but two entities
— Google and Facebook —
gobble up 87 percent of all
digital advertising. That leaves
13 percent for everyone else
… crumbs. Since 2004, about
2,100 newspapers and their
accompanying digital web-
sites have closed nationally.
They range from metropolitan
dailies to weekly publications
— including those that serve
the Jewish community. We’
re
still here, bucking this difficult
trend. However, additional rev-
enue sources will be needed to
sustain and strengthen indepen-
dent, credible, community-
focused newsgathering organiza-
tions — like the Jewish News.
As we enter the New Year
5780, here is what you can
expect from us:
• A robust and expanding dig-
ital presence. Monthly visits
to the Jewish News website
are approaching 100,000 and
skew younger. They look to
us daily — typically through
their mobile devices — for
news and information;
• A significant adjustment
in how we interact with
you. We will look to be in
a “relationship” with you,
seeking your ideas for stories,
inviting you to special events,
providing you with more

information on subjects of
your choosing and offering
additional ways to thank you;
• The emergence of a “rela-
tionship” model that provides
a menu of ways for you to
receive news and other infor-
mation from us — when
you want it. Underpinning
this model will be the simple
fact that you will be support-
ing the survival of credible,
independent Jewish commu-
nity-oriented journalism for
Detroit;
•
The Detroit Jewish News
Foundation, a 501-c-3 non-
profit organization formed
in 2011, assuming a more
significant role as the Jewish
News shifts toward a sustain-
able, mission-driven business
model. You’
ll hear more
about that as plans develop.
On behalf of the Jewish News
staff, we wish you a sweet,
rewarding and healthy new year
and look forward to new begin-
nings … and the opportunity
to continue to serve you.

L
’
shanah tovah,






Arthur Horwitz
Publisher & Executive Editor

Arthur
Horwitz

“Since 2004, about 2,100
newspapers have closed
nationally. We’re still bucking
this diffi
cult trend. However,
additional revenue sources
will be needed to sustain and
strengthen the Jewish News”