Ridin' the Rapids - August 25

“We love the RR.”

That’s just one of the many positive comments that have been attached to emails from print subscribers who’ve been sending their addresses, so they’ll continue to receive this newspaper.

Here’s another, “You’re doing a great job. When I see other local papers, they don’t compare to the RR. Don’t know how you do it, frankly. I always read the local news that’s not covered or not in such depth that you write.”

In June, River Reflections’ long-time printing company decided to shut down its newsprint press. The increased costs of a replacement - combined with growing weekly mailing costs - had become unsustainable. Shutting down could have created another “news dessert” that too many communities around the U.S. have suffered from.

When I made the decision to switch to digital delivery, I knew it could be risky because it might not work.

747 subscribers received the August 18th River Reflections through the mail. But last week, 658 of them had sent in contact information and received the emailed digital edition too. That’s an amazing 88% so far, and it’s sure to go even higher when readers who’ve been putting off sending their addresses finally realize the time has come.

Apparently, the sentiment that “We love the RR” is true.