The staff here at qnotes wishes you and yours the happiest in this New Year. As old 2012 calendars come off the wall and are replaced with the new, we, too, are making changes and our own New Year’s resolutions as we continue our commitment to serving you better.
Street date changes
One of the first things a reader might notice is our newspaper’s new street date. For years, our newspaper has been published with a Saturday street date. Starting with this issue, we’re moving that up to Fridays. We’re excited about the opportunity to get the news and features you expect and enjoy into your hands sooner.
A free resource
We’re committed to keeping our online news free. Other papers, now including the three largest daily newspapers across the Carolinas, have begun charging for some of their online content. For nearly 27 years now, we’ve taken pride in our ability to publish a community newspaper available to readers for free. At this point, we see no reason to change that tradition by instituting a “pay wall” or online subscription service and recognize that many of our readers would be unsatisfied with such a move.
Expanded coverage
Over the past several years, we’ve continued an effort to beef up our online news and features coverage. We recognize the face of the news industry is changing, driven in large measure by changes in reading and consumption habits. Many readers still enjoy their printed newspapers, but many others are finding online news easier and faster — much more quickly than our bi-weekly print edition can deliver it.
Each day, we’ll strive to bring you relevant news and features on our website at qnotescarolinas.com and work to create a printed news-magazine with progressive, creative, insightful and unique, forward-looking news, analysis, commentary, life and styles coverage and coverage of local arts and entertainment.
Our freely-available online news will be expanding.
News briefs on local LGBT community organizations’ news and updates across the Carolinas will be available online sooner. Weekly highlights of upcoming weekend events will be published on Thursdays or Fridays each week.
Important, interesting and unique LGBT and non-LGBT features alike will also be available, including long-form news and lifestyles features, short news briefs on civic life and entertaining local and regional tid-bits from around the web.
Exciting new features
We recognize our LGBT and straight ally readers life full lives and we want to reflect life as it is today for LGBT Charlotteans who are loving parents, kind neighbors, local business owners, social leaders, community volunteers and civic leaders.
Our editorial calendar this year is fresh and ambitious, meant to reflect the reality of our readers’ lives.
Next issue, we’ll profile the local LGBT African-American community. In the spring and fall, we’ll highlight interesting travel destinations across the Carolinas. In April, we’ll profile young LGBT professionals making their mark on local life and in their blossoming careers in the Queen City. An issue afterward, we’ll dig into the issues affecting LGBT seniors and families. In May and June, we’ll premier our first-ever Home and Garden Tour and then our Queen City Restaurant and Bar Guide.
As this new year moves forward, we hope we’ll continue to have the privilege and blessing to serve you in new and better ways. Your feedback, comments and suggestions are always welcome and appreciated. As always, readers are encouraged to reach out to me and our staff anytime via email at editor@qnotescarolinas.com or via phone at 704-531-9988, ext. 202. : :