SEPTEMBER 26 • 2019 | 5 Views 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”