Readers: MLive President John Hiner is taking the week off from this column. In his place, MLive Senior Director of News Sara Scott shares details of an initiative to engage more deeply with readers who care about local news.
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You can find stories on MLive and in our eight newspapers about the latest national and state politics, pro and college sports, the environment, and heck, even your favorite advice columnist.
But, at our core, what we do and what we love is local news. MLive reporters go out every day in their hometowns so you know what’s happening at City Hall, who won the game on Friday night and how best to navigate orange barrels on your daily commute.
We care deeply about what’s happening locally because we call these Michigan communities home, too. We shop at the same grocery stores, feel the pain when taxes or water rates go up, and glow with the same sense of pride when our sports teams make it to the playoffs.
We understand that in this digital era, finding that connection can be tough. Which is why we are devoting energy in the coming months to build a stronger relationship with our readers, and specifically with our print and digital subscribers. We are starting with the friendly folks in Bay City.
What will it look like?
First, like our readers in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, we are launching a Hello, Bay City newsletter. Penned by Bay City reporter Joey Oliver, it will update readers on anything they’ve missed during the week and what our reporters are talking about. It starts tomorrow and will be free for the first 60 days. We hope you enjoy it so much, you’ll consider subscribing, if you haven’t already.
Bay City readers will also see photos and information about the reporters, editors and photographers who cover the community. You’ll get to know people like Heather Jordan, who leads the Bay City and Saginaw newsrooms. You’ll hear about Lee Thompson, who has covered Bay City area high school athletics for decades. You’ll learn more about Cole Waterman who covers public safety and has written about some of the more colorful crimes in the area.
This dedicated group of journalists brings a level of experience and expertise to their jobs that is unrivaled in the area.
If you have trouble finding your local stories, a new home page will make that easier for you. You can find it here.
And we want to hear from you about what you want to know, what you love about Bay City and how we can do a better job of serving our subscribers. You can drop a line at [email protected]. There also will be upcoming opportunities to talk to us that we will share in the Hello, Bay City newsletter.
We know in today’s world there are a multitude of ways you can spend your time (and your dollars) and we appreciate your willingness to invest time in reading your local news. If you are not currently a subscriber, check out our current offers at www.mlive.com/subscribe.
If you aren’t a Bay Cityan, don’t worry. You’ll see us rolling out new things in each of our communities in the coming months.
Thanks for reading,
Sara Scott
Senior director of news
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