Newspapers must change with the changing times to remain a vital part of their communities, and Spotlight Newspapers is no exception.
In an effort to update Spotlight Newspapers’ look, publisher John McIntyre said special sections such as Spotlight on Business are taking on more of a magazine-like appearance.
“Readers will notice that our special sections, such as our camp guide and this Spotlight on Business, are printed on higher quality paper,” said McIntyre.
The changeover began with the company’s Senior Spotlight and Capital District Parent Pages monthly publications last year. Those publications went from the traditional newsprint to their magazine-quality paper to make them stand out from the crowd.
“With a glossy paper, you can produce a higher quality product,” said McIntyre. “Newspaper has been around for centuries, and doing a high-quality product on that can be frustrating.”
McIntyre said more glossy special sections are coming to Spotlight Newspapers.
“This year, we’re going to be doing a back-to-school section that will be glossy, and we’re going to do our first-ever gift guide in a glossy format,” he said.
Beyond the new look certain special sections are getting, McIntyre said the company is striving to continue boosting the circulation of The Spotlight, the Colonie Spotlight and the Loudonville Spotlight.
“We’ve made a lot of effort to really reach all parts of our communities in the past year,” said McIntrye. “We’ve added subscriptions to our Colonie edition, including getting the entire Colonie Chamber of Commerce to subscribe. We plan to be doing something for the Bethlehem community, and what we’re trying to do is reach everyone who is interested in the local news in their communities.”
The increase in subscriptions at The Spotlight goes against the trend of declining subscription rates at larger daily newspapers, some of which are trimming staff and cutting back in original content.
“The state of the newspaper industry is not as bad as we in the industry say it is,” said McIntyre. “Some products are struggling, but the reason why they’re struggling is because they’ve lost their focus. The Internet cannot replace newspapers. There still has to be a trusted source for news. Somebody still has to be hired to go out and gather the stories.
“What it comes down to is trust. The reader has to have a source it can trust, and The Spotlight has been that trusted source for the last 50 years,” he added.
Spotlight Newspapers will continue to provide readers with top-notch coverage of news and sports taking place in Colonie, Bethlehem, New Scotland and Guilderland. It also remains highly visible within the communities it serves, as a sponsor and participant in several high-profile community events, including the annual Family Fun Day at the Menands Farmers Market, the Hospice Walk at Siena, the Crossings Challenge in Colonie and the Bethlehem Christmas Parade.