By David Hudnall (Editor-in-Chief, Phoenix New Times)
| Dear Friend,
First of all, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting Phoenix New Times. Without you, we simply wouldn’t be here. We couldn’t have told the stories of Phoenix — many of which would have gone untold if not for New Times — for the last 50 years and counting. Some of those stories may even have been about you, or your relatives or friends. They’re about places and people you know or wanted to know more about. They’re about politics, business, food, cannabis, music, art, sports and theater — pretty much everything that makes Phoenix the incredible city that it is. We know you’re experiencing the financial, social and emotional stress caused by the Coronavirus. So are we. As local businesses have been forced to temporarily close or cut back, our advertising has suffered. Everyone in our company has taken pay cuts, and we’ve also had to lay off beloved colleagues. None of us knows when things will return to normal, or even what normal will look like. But we’re writing to let you know that whatever happens, we intend to be here to serve the readers, the advertisers and the many other partners who’ve helped us in our mission to provide an independent voice for the people of this great city. In times of panic, confusion, and fear — in the historic times we suddenly find ourselves living through — people want reliable information. That is what we do here. Our journalists are rising to this moment, reporting day and night to bring Phoenix accurate, up-to-date information about what’s happening on the ground, in the community, and in the halls of power. More than a million of you have visited phoenixnewtimes.com so far this month, where our traffic has risen by more than 50 percent these past several weeks — evidence that our readers value our commitment to providing hard facts amid so much uncertainty. We’re not just publishing on the web, of course. We’re still printing our weekly edition of New Times. Even though your favorite pick-up location may be temporarily shuttered, we’re still available at 1,600 locations throughout the Valley. (Here’s a handy map of our distribution points.) And if you prefer reading New Times in its traditional print format but are truly stuck at home, you can get an elegant reading experience by browsing our online flipbook. We want to continue to be part of your life. So that’s why we’re writing: to let you know that we’re still here. Our reporters, editors, photographers, illustrators, salespeople, production department workers and business office employees are on the job, keeping New Times going and doing the work necessary to get you the news. We’ll stay in the fight. Let’s do it together. David Hudnall |