The Chestnut Hill Local has been making steady upgrades to our digital presence so we can better serve readers across Northwest Philadelphia. Think of this as a quick tour of our “home” — the Local — and the improvements that strengthen our newsroom.

Research from The Lenfest Institute, the American Journalism Project and the Pew Research Center shows that 88% of U.S. adults get news from digital devices at least sometimes, and 59% do so often. Digital platforms now surpass TV, radio and print as the dominant source of news. Preferences are shifting toward mobile and multi-platform local journalism — and we’re embracing that shift.

Last year, Lenfest conducted research on the Local’s behalf. As expected for a long established print publication, our current readers lean heavily toward print. But as we grow circulation, there is tremendous opportunity to meet new audiences digitally. Our readers’ habits are as varied as our neighborhoods — from the print loyalist (known by researchers as “the established chronicler”), to the hybrid reader (“the civic connector”) to the digital-first neighbor (“the high-speed neighbor”). Our goal is to deepen our connection with longtime readers while meeting new audiences where they are.

This helps us reach Germantown, Mt. Airy and other younger, more mobile neighborhoods through social media, search, and expanded distribution. And even our most devoted print readers — especially those who travel and want a digital tether to home — will benefit from these improvements. If you’re reading only the print edition, you’re seeing just half of our community engagement.

Quietly and steadily, we’ve been strengthening our digital presence. Thank you to digital editor Maggie Dougherty and co-editor Jeff Meade for their leadership.

Here’s a summary:

• Chestnuthilllocal.com — The Chestnut Hill Local homepage was redesigned to enhance the reader experience while spotlighting top news, arts and culture, neighborhood updates and more. It’s not just a refresh of the aesthetics although the homepage is more attractive, with a strong emphasis on visuals. It makes it easier for the eye to track down the homepage and to find sections of the Local website that might have been scattered or buried before. Kudos to Maggie Dougherty for all the work she put into this.

• Chestnut Hill Local on Substack — Follow Chestnut Hill Local Lite, our companion Substack, chlocalite.substack.com. Chestnuthilllocal.com remains home to our archives, while Substack lets us showcase photos, multimedia and daily content in new ways. We’re experimenting, and readers will grow with us.

Like the Chestnut Hill Rotary and other organizations, the Local created a Substack to supplement its social media strategy. There is a distinct audience for Substack, different from Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. On our Substack, we highlight many of our latest articles. It’s all about presenting Local content in a new way to a new audience. To the best of our knowledge, it is the only newspaper Substack in Philadelphia.

• Weekly email blast — Launched in September 2024 with the hiring of our digital editor, our weekly newsletter now exceeds our print distribution. Maggie’s reporting adds energy to the week ahead, and for new readers, the newsletter is often their first step toward becoming subscribers. Here you find a roundup of the week’s biggest stories. Readers can choose to read those, or just browse the fun events and activities listed in and around the Northwest Philadelphia region. Please contact Maggie (margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com) with any information you think belongs in our “In Other News” section — anything you think your neighbors might want to know about.

• New launch page for Wissahickon Magazine — Thanks to Editor Carla Robinson and designer Richard Stein, our quarterly magazine brings long-form stories from the Wissahickon watershed to life. You can now access the magazine directly from the top navigation bar at chestnuthilllocal.com.

• Northwest Philadelphia Film Festival screenings page — Under Main Nav —> Entertainment —> In Pursuit, you’ll find dates, locations, raffle information and ways to continue the conversation around our collaboration with Sam Katz’s History Making Productions “In Pursuit” film screenings and panel discussions. History isn’t behind us — it’s a starting point for neighborhood dialogue.

Some closing thoughts: These digital improvements reflect our commitment to serving every reader — longtime supporters, new neighbors and future subscribers discovering us for the first time. The Local has always been a trusted voice for Northwest Philadelphia, and strengthening our digital presence ensures we remain that voice for years to come. Thank you for reading, supporting and growing with us as we continue to evolve together.