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Letter to the editor

Get set for fresh look, fresh focus on Largo

By JOE CHILDS, Managing Editor / Clearwater
Published September 23, 2007

We will make an important change to the Largo Times next Sunday. It will not be incremental; it will be transformational. I'll explain today what we are doing and why.

I also want to talk about our commitment to Largo.

This week is the final week for the Largo Times as you know it. On Sept. 30, we will introduce a much-changed Largo Times.

It will be tabloid-sized, as is our Weekend section on Thursdays.

And it will feature a far different coverage mix.

We are keeping the work you value: the serious journalism and in-depth reporting that is our core mission.

We are tossing out other content that, frankly, may have been of marginal value to you. We are replacing it with the community-level news many of you told us you want.

Here's how you put it: Give us news from Largo, not from other cities and towns in North Pinellas.

Okay, we will.

We have several ideas for new, Largo-specific features we think you will enjoy. And find useful.

You will see your neighbors in the new Largo Times and get information on what to do and what to see in Largo.

You will hear from community organizations working to make Largo a better place to live. You will read about interesting Largo residents doing interesting things.

Which brings me to another change. We can't sustain this expanded report six days a week. We don't have the staff. And even if we did, we're not convinced Largo's community's agenda is that heavy.

So, starting next week, we will publish the Largo Times twice a week - on Sundays and on Wednesdays.

That schedule will position us to keep you informed of the major news of Largo and serve up a rich volume of community coverage just from Largo.

On days when we don't publish a Largo Times, important news from Largo will be in Section B, Local & State. Major stories will be on the front of Section A.

I suspect some in Largo will see this as a retreat, a way to mask a reduction in effort.

It's not.

We have smart, savvy, skilled reporters covering the city government and Largo's public safety environment. We are proud of their work. It's thorough and probing, the brand of journalism that promotes good democracy. But it doesn't fill six pages of broadsheet newsprint six days a week.

So, we challenged our established ways of work, researched the market and listened to readers.

Now we will adapt.

We can restructure while still remaining essential to you. With more time and flexibility, we can push deeper into the community to find local content - Largo content - that will engage you.

We built our new mix so we can do that, and sustain it, while also delivering quality storytelling.

Our local news team has had a strong run of investigative work this year, disclosing Steve Stanton's secret, then moving on to uncover the Jim Smith land deal and report on the many failings of county government. We don't want to back off such work. We don't think you want us to, either.

A repurposed Largo Times, published twice a week, will position us to give you watchdog, time-intensive journalism as well as a fresh and reordered community report. We have not reduced our staff in Largo.

On other days this week, I'll introduce some of the new work you will find in the new Largo Times. Then, after next Sunday, we will be eager to hear what you think.

[Last modified September 22, 2007, 21:34:15]