We need your advice.
We’ll be taking the holiday break to ponder future options for improving the reporting and analysis we provide. We’ve also made some recent changes we’d welcome your reactions to. Please take a moment to read this brief post and give us your advice.
BayBuzz Magazine – we’ve just published our 85th edition (we’ve been at this a long time now!) and for the first time it is a quarterly edition as opposed to our normal bi-monthly. We did that to give ourselves a break after an exhausting 12 weeks of local election coverage.
Questions:
- Would you prefer a bi-monthly or quarterly magazine? Or no magazine … just digital?
- Our magazine content has become quite expansive, from issues & politics to regional economy to arts & culture to sports & life style. Do you prefer this range or would you prefer more focus on issues and the regional economy?
BayBuzz Digital – we’re putting heaps of energy into our daily online reporting, wrapped up in our weekly Saturday e-newsletter, The BUZZ. This content is now behind a paywall, available only to paid subscribers. We also have been distributing an Events e-newsletter each Wednesday, prepared by BayBuzz partner Cat Morgan, featuring entertainment options for the week ahead.
Questions:
- What do you think of The BUZZ? How might it be improved?
- What do you think of our paywall approach?
- What do you think of the Events e-newsletter? How might it be improved?
Printed Weekly Newspaper – yes, you’re reading that correctly! Our view is that HB Today just doesn’t cut it. Hawke’s Bay needs something better … in print. So we’re pondering publishing a FREE weekly community newspaper.
Questions:
- Are we nuts?
- Would you personally welcome a weekly newspaper from BayBuzz, or have you become converted to ‘digital only’ for news?
We’ve deliberately not made this a Survey Monkey-type multiple choice exercise!
We know our readers are both discerning and opinionated. So we’d rather just get your thoughts in your own words … that will be far more valuable as we ponder our BayBuzz future.
Just email your thoughts to [email protected]
Thanks for responding. I promise you … Every word will be read and digested!
Meantime, Happy Holidays!
I have enjoyed reading your articles and find them very informative
Unfortunately I am not in a position to subscribe being in a very limited income.
Initial response: Printed News paper
In CHB I frequently hear citizens comment on the lack of a local paper…in particular with reference to ‘official’ news from councils and other agencies. There obviously is also an element of not anymore knowing what happens in our local community; to go short, not having a (good quality, not just bad ads) local weekly/bi-weekly, door to door (?) paper is perceived a an real loss by many.
I like the magazine – bi monthly or quarterly – either option is fine – but I do like a physical magazine. A little more stress on local matters is fine – but don’t lose the editorial opinions.
The Buzz is excellent and I tend to look for it – short sharp opinion pieces about local matters is good – with some hard-hitting articles about matters that especially relate to our local government and their foibles and prejudices.
A weekly newspaper focused on the region would be excellent – HBToday is a waste of space these days with too much political bias and nothing in depth. Replace that asap!
It depends whether BayBuzz’s primary function is to be of service to its community or to create a profit. If the former, then maybe just advertising would pay the bills? The latter presumably requires subscriptions that will limit access for many community members.
Agree > a weekly print format newspaper for the Bay in the Bay would be welcome
Love the idea of a printed weekly newspaper! I enjoy the digital format and shareable articles too. Keep up the great work Tom and Bay Buzz staff.
I would definitely be in favour of a weekly printed newspaper, HB today has lost the plot.
A quarterly magazine with focus on regional issues and business. I have been reading Bay Buzz for a number of years and I believe the early publications were more geared towards challenging local council decisions and making the readers aware of local issues.