Change is hard. It can also be exciting. In our April 24 issue, I wrote a piece entitled “The Local combines forces and expands mission.” There, I explained the decision to eliminate a separate Mt. Airy masthead and transition to a single masthead with a new tagline: “The Chestnut Hill Local: Serving Northwest Philadelphia and Southeast Montgomery County.”
The decision to consolidate our masthead while simultaneously expanding coverage was well-considered, supported by readers, the Local’s board, and our small-but-mighty staff. The decision also meant …
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Change is hard. It can also be exciting. In our April 24 issue, I wrote a piece entitled “The Local combines forces and expands mission.” There, I explained the decision to eliminate a separate Mt. Airy masthead and transition to a single masthead with a new tagline: “The Chestnut Hill Local: Serving Northwest Philadelphia and Southeast Montgomery County.”
The decision to consolidate our masthead while simultaneously expanding coverage was well-considered, supported by readers, the Local’s board, and our small-but-mighty staff. The decision also meant embarking on a gut-wrenching design process that involved many discussions, innumerable drafts and some under-the-breath muttering.
The new masthead represents a simultaneous embrace of tradition and expansion. Yes, the Chestnut Hill Local is a 67+ year legacy newspaper, firmly rooted in history and in Chestnut Hill proper. It is also invested in serving the interconnected communities of this region, reporting meaningful news, raising awareness about events, and educating readers. The updates to our masthead are reflective of our desire to retain the best parts of the past while moving toward a future in which the Local is able to expand our current print and digital circulation, remain relevant, and increase both our revenue and our impact.
Our new masthead design proudly embraces our Chestnut Hill roots while acknowledging our expanded coverage area and retaining the symbol of illumination. Lampposts represent not only the lighting features that line Germantown Avenue, but also the light of learning. We hope our papers are educational, entertaining, and inspiring. Reading the Local certainly brightens my day.
I also know that change can provoke a spectrum of feelings, so I invite you to contact me with your thoughts and reactions.
My own reaction is gratitude. I want to thank our production department - Blaise Brugger, Amy Jacoby, Hannah Pilling, and Joanne Davis for their dedication to an arduous, often thankless, artistic process. I also want to thank board member Richard Stein for his participation in the design process. The Local’s entire staff and board have been instrumental in offering feedback and ideas, as have community members, advertisers, and funders, but it was Stein, Brugger, Jacoby, Pilling, and Davis who spent hours working and revising a concept that is essential to broadening our reach and reflecting our mission.
I hope the Local brightens your day as you peruse its pages and I hope the new masthead demonstrates our commitment to the past and excitement about the future.
Daralyse Lyons
Publisher
