In moments of chaos, clarity can be found.
And in tough moments, remaining positive can help find needed answers.
Undoubtedly, this week has been a tough one for us at the Santa Barbara News-Press.
We pride ourselves on superior customer service, delivering our product to thousands each day — providing a predictable, consistent experience for all of Santa Barbara County.
This week, we have failed in that quest with many of you.
And we sincerely apologize for that.
As with any business, change happens and even the best-laid plans can give way to unexpected turbulence — and this has been one rocky ride.
Thankfully, after 165 years integrated in this community, we understand the emotional quotient that comes with our unfortunate interruption — it leaves a gaping hole where information usually takes up residence.
And when there is no solution to fill that void, it causes frustration.
And you have every right to be frustrated — we are, too.
One longtime reader wrote:
“Reading the newspaper is part of my ‘routine’ that gets my brain functioning in the morning (I can’t drink coffee!). Reading the news and doing all the puzzles kick-starts my thinking process for the day.”
Producing the paper every day is our stimulant, too — we surround ourselves with the smells of newsprint, the cackle of emergency radio scanners and the everyday connection with our readers, even when the news isn’t so good for us.
This is why we are working diligently to respond to every subscriber that has reached out via phone or email. As you can expect, both have been a bit busier than normal, so it is taking longer than any of us like — but we are making significant progress.
In parallel, we are working with our new delivery service to identify the gaps in the process, and fixing them on an individual basis. It’s a complex system, but one that we are working to simplify, as the end product is quite straight forward — we must deliver what we promise to each of you.
As a management team, we hold ourselves personally responsible for making sure our readers are always taken care of — albeit with a renewed commitment to local news, working hand-in-hand with community partners or being a watchdog when it’s necessary.
That will never change.
Our subscribers are why we get the distinct privilege of telling the amazing stories of this incredible county.
We never forget that, it’s a rallying cry we all abide by here.
We will get this fixed — and grow tremendously from it.
Sincerely,
The Santa Barbara News-Press management team
