Word & Way’s print edition will become a monthly magazine starting in July. The magazine will replace the tabloid print edition currently published every other week.
“This means that the June 18 issue will be the final every-other-week newsprint tabloid newspaper we produce,” Editor Bill Webb said.
The new format will be complemented by Word & Way’s recently upgraded website.
“While in the last 119 years, the format of Word & Way has changed from time to time, as has the frequency of publication, this is certainly a significant shift,” he said.
“We are in an era of circulation and income decline, as are many state Baptist newspapers,” he acknowledged.
“Our goal is always to use our resources of funding, time and talent to enhance and maximize all that we do,” Webb said. “This is a standing commitment we have made to subscribers, advertisers and donors. We strive to honor it.”
Word & Way’s trustees and staff are taking steps to upgrade the print edition to a magazine that will continue to be enjoyed by long-time readers but also will attract readers from upcoming generations of Baptists in the Midwest, he said.
The upgraded Word & Way website (www.wordandway.org) and the magazine are both intended to serve current readers and broaden the audience of subscribers, he said.
“Some readers have asked how circulation fees will be affected by our upcoming change,” he said. “While the cost of printing a single magazine will be higher than the expense of producing two issues of the newspaper, we will not increase subscription rates starting in July.”
The annual cost will continue to be $13 per subscriber for church plans and other groups of 10 subscriptions or more billed to the same address and $17.50 for individual subscriptions.
“We are in the process of finalizing printing and production plans as this change rapidly approaches,” Webb said. “We have a few fine points that we are working out as the deadline nears.
“We request the patience of readers, advertisers, donors and others as we work through this rather significant adjustment in our service to readers,” he said.
“We believe they will find this version to be the best Word & Way yet.”