Observer Dispatch ends Saturday print newspaper

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

Observer-Dispatch to cease Saturday print publication


Digital replica edition

available to subscribers


Observer-Dispatch



The Observer-Dispatch in March will cease print publication on Saturdays for our home delivery and single-copy editions.



Instead, we will provide subscribers with a full digital replica of the newspaper on Saturdays. This E-newspaper will be filled with the same Mohawk Valley, regional and national news, high school and professional sports, advertising, and features such as comics and puzzles that you would find in print on Saturdays.



Home-delivery customers will continue to receive newspapers delivered to their homes all other days for which they subscribe. Newsstand sales will be offered daily Sundays through Fridays.



"With each passing year, more O-D subscribers access news content on mobile phones and other digital devices," Executive Editor Sheila Rayam said. "Our new approach on Saturdays reflects the evolving world we live in."





"Our commitment to Mohawk Valley communities and to local news remains strong," Rayam added. "We're still publishing a full Saturday newspaper; it simply will be in digital and not paper form."



The change takes effect March 12. News and sales staffing at the O-D will not change.



The E-newspaper, or E-edition, has existed seven days a week for many years. It has the same look as the printed newspaper, along with some features possible only on digital devices. These include the ability to clip and share articles and to adjust the text size.




As a bonus, O-D subscribers will also now have access to the USA TODAY’s network of e-Editions of newspapers from across the country, plus ad-free access to the USA TODAY crossword puzzle. The Observer-Dispatch is part of the USA TODAY network, and the change being announced today also is taking place at more than 130 other publications in the network.



All O-D print subscribers have full digital access, meaning they may read news updates throughout the day, subscriber-only stories, watch videos and listen to audio features, among other benefits. Subscribers also have 24/7 access to obituaries, legal notices, and classifieds at uticaod.com


As a bonus, O-D subscribers will also now have access to the USA TODAY’s network of e-Editions of newspapers from across the country, plus ad-free access to the USA TODAY crossword puzzle. The Observer-Dispatch is part of the USA TODAY network, and the change being announced today also is taking place at more than 130 other publications in the network.



All O-D print subscribers have full digital access, meaning they may read news updates throughout the day, subscriber-only stories, watch videos and listen to audio features, among other benefits. Subscribers also have 24/7 access to obituaries, legal notices, and classifieds at uticaod.com

[Clipper]

It looks like the OD has gone full circle. When I worked there it was a Gannett newspaper. Since then I don't know how many other media companies they have been affiliated with, but the USA today is published by Gannett.

[BHU]

The Rome Sentinal is expanding to cover more of this area & will likely take over where the OD left off. They've even hired 3 staff members from the OD.

USA Today is not an incentive for me to buy the OD.

[Clipper]

Jan 13, 2022 13:53:36 GMT -5 BHU said:

The Rome Sentinal is expanding to cover more of this area & will likely take over where the OD left off. They've even hired 3 staff members from the OD.

USA Today is not an incentive for me to buy the OD.

I used to subscribe to the OD on-line but gave up the subscription. They are offering 6 months of the E-edition for a buck right now and I am contemplating subscribing again for a buck. What have I got to lose? I started reading the Rome Sentinel on-line a year or two ago. It covers some of the more important happenings in the Utica area and has good coverage of Rome, Oneida, Verona, Sylvan Beach, and other areas. Even if the Sentinel goes to an all on-line format I will stick with them. It has always been a family run operation, and has not suffered all the corporate changes and changes of media companies that the OD has. The OD has pretty much been on life support for years. It is a sad day in the OD's long history. Watching the printed media slowly pass into oblivion is upsetting to those of us that like to hold a newspaper in our hands, perusing the news over a cup of coffee at breakfast.

[clarencebunsen]

That is why I always have toast crumbs in my keyboard.

[Clipper]

Jan 14, 2022 9:22:58 GMT -5 clarencebunsen said:

That is why I always have toast crumbs in my keyboard.

LOL! You made me look at MY keyboard. No toast crumbs but LOTS of dust. I used to buy canned air for electronics when I used to take my old laptop out to the woodshop, but decided that I was a sucker paying for air. (Never knowing that the future would bring tire pumping stations with a slot for credit cards) When they started charging for air for tires I bought a compressor and 50 feet of hose. Now I simply take the keyboard to my shop, and gently blow the dust and debris out of keyboard with an air nozzle.

The worst that can happen is possible damage to the wireless keyboard that I only paid $20 for.