Since 2012, the Catholic Courier has offered 12 monthly interactive digital editions (https://digital.catholiccourier.com) as supplements to its website (https://catholiccourier.com) and 10 annual print editions. The digital edition also made it possible for readers to access a print-style presentation of Courier content on their computers, tablets or mobile devices from anywhere in the world.
When it initially debuted, usage of the digital edition was moderately strong during January and July when the Courier does not publish print editions, but quite low the other months of the year, according to Karen Franz, the Courier’s general manager/editor.
By 2019, however, traffic had dropped off significantly all year round, Franz said. As a result of declining reader interest, management determined this fall that it could no longer justify the time commitment entailed in producing the monthly digital editions, which will cease entirely effective January 2020, she said.
Franz encouraged subscribers to look for daily content updates on the Courier website, for which the staff increasingly generates photo galleries, videos, blogs and multimedia projects that cannot be reproduced in print.
As a reminder of all the new content that is added to the site each week, she also encouraged subscribers to sign up for one or more of the Courier’s three weekly electronic newsletters. To get Courier content delivered right to your email inbox visit, https://catholiccourier.com/e-newsletters or send an email to latestnews@catholic courier.com.
“As we emphasize in one of the house ads that run in the print Courier, ‘Paper is just the beginning,” Franz said. “The Courier is award-winning Catholic news and inspirational content, not a sheaf of newsprint or any other platform or vehicle. As reader interests shift and technology evolve, we will continue to adjust the vehicles we use to deliver content to our readers.”
