CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman Tribune has recently decided to make the switch from a five-day print schedule each week to a three-day print schedule. This change will be completed by the first full week of August and begins with today as the last Friday print edition for the foreseeable future. But not to fret! While some things may be changing, the quality and consistency of The Tribune’s news coverage remains the same.
Publisher Noah Galilee shared, “The decision to switch from a Tuesday through Saturday print schedule back to our three-day schedule of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday was not done lightly. It was something we (Dustin Isom and myself) have spoken about many times since the pandemic, but the ultimate decision came when we looked at the analytics and realized nearly 85% of our readers download the PDF version of the print edition, or stay connected through our app.”
Each day, readers will be able to access The Tribune by downloading the free smartphone app, keeping track of any of The Cullman Tribune social media accounts, and of course, by visiting the website at https://www.cullmantribune.com completely free of charge.
When it comes to what it means for The Cullman Tribune’s readers and advertisers alike, Galilee explained, “For our readers, this means more local content, photos and sports coverage. For our new advertisers, well, it opens up several new avenues that have not been explored in this region. As we always do, we will continue to come up with new and innovative ways to reach the reader while properly serving the advertiser. Honestly, we look at our advertisers more as sponsors than anything else, simply due to loyalty.”
What does this mean for print and digital going forward? Galilee continued, “Before running The Tribune, Dustin and myself had begun CullmanSense, which started solely as an online platform before switching to print in 2011. When we took over The Tribune on April 1, 2016, we upped production from once a week to three days per week.
“The combination of working first online, then moving to print gave us a unique view of the industry and what is not effective. Paywalls for online views are nowhere on our site. We do not charge families for obituaries, which in some cases families are charged over $1 per word to submit an obituary, but thanks to the great support from local businesses, we are able to offer the service free of charge.
“The print editions will grow in page count and will include much more in-depth stories, features and a few other expanded sections. As far as digital, it will be running 24/7, increasing the amount and variety of news to our readers.”
As the oldest continuously published weekly newspaper in Alabama and the oldest business across Cullman County, The Cullman Tribune takes pride in the motto, “Serving Cullman in the Heart of Dixie since 1874.” It has been around for a while and while time may change somethings, The Tribune is here to stay.
Copyright 2021 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
