Published: 3/24/2020 2:43:02 PM
Modified: 3/24/2020 2:52:33 PM
To our readers:
We are all living in a different world from a short time ago, shaped by a growing health crisis, a fragile economy and the upheaval of our everyday lives. Here at the Valley News, we’ve done our best to stay on top of the news but, like nearly all businesses, we’ve been unable to escape its impact.
We’re making some painful decisions that will impact a staff that has worked tirelessly in recent weeks and beyond to bring you the news. Across our company, we are reducing expenses, which includes layoffs and a reduction of hours for some employees. Managers are taking an across-the-board pay cut. As of March 28 we will no longer be open on the weekends to take calls concerning delivery matters. Effective March 30, the circulation department will close at 3 p.m. and the advertising/business office at 4 p.m. weekdays.
In the newsroom, we’ll have less staff as we begin producing some news pages in coordination with the Concord Monitor, our sister publication in Concord.
This will have an impact on some of the coverage you are accustomed to reading. We have had to reduce our page count as the world around us grapples with this historic pandemic as businesses are forced to close or reduce hours. We can’t cover sports and the local arts when they don’t exist. With fewer pages and resources, there will be fewer local editorials.
The hard truth is that no one knows what the future holds. We all hope that things will return to some sense of normalcy and we will be able to reinstate the resources and content that have been affected.
We will continue to do our very best to serve the readers of the Upper Valley. We have received numerous notes of encouragement and appreciation. Please keep the kind words coming and help us by supporting local journalism and local businesses.