Welcome, Williamstown, to the new Advocate.
Well, not entirely new, but refocused. Now the news begins and ends with Williamstown. That doesn’t mean you won’t find out about the latest Mass MoCA exhibit or production at Shakespeare & Co., there will just be less of an emphasis on those events happening outside of Williamstown and the immediate vicinity.
"It was logical to refocus The Advocate," Publisher Peter Lynch said. "I am really excited to be bringing the newspaper back to its roots."
Possibly the biggest change readers will notice is that The Advocate will now come directly to residents’ mailboxes in Williamstown. The Advocate will still be availablefor free at 88 distribution points throughout Northern Berkshire County and Southwestern Vermont.
The change will allow the paper to bring everything together, and make it a forum for readers of every background.
"Our intent with the change is to keep our readers in the touch with every aspect of their community," Editor Erik Sokolowski said.
Some of the changes readers will notice is more community partnership.
This week, Jennifer Civello, the Executive Director of the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce, talks about the importance of growing the community. In the future, we working to bring you closer together with the Mt. Greylock Regional High School District, Williams College and the Williams
"We want to not only be a forum, but also help to be a catalyst in the community," Lynch said.
And the new Advocate will be all about community.
"By partnering with various organizations throughout Williamstown, we will be able to better bring readers news directly from those organizations," Sokolowski said.
While this transition will be a major undertaking, the paper will not be moving away from what has been its core.
"With this change, we will not be abandoning the arts and culture aspects that readers have come to expect from The Advocate," Sokolowski said. "With a world-class museum like The Clark, Williams’ ‘62 Center for Theatre and Dance and the Williams College Museum of Art, it would be very hard for us ignore arts and culture."
So how do you, the reader, fit into all of this?
Simple, The Advocate is now your community bulletin board.
If it’s happening in the Williamstown are, it’s happening in The Advocate.
At this point you may be asking, "Well, how do I get my news into The Advocate?"
It’s easy. About two weeks before your event, send your press release to news@advocateweekly.com, and we’ll do the rest.
Have pictures to share? Send them directly to the editor at esokolowski@advocateweekly.com, or visit www.neni-news.com and click on the photo upload form, then The Advocate banner, and simply fill out the form and attach your pics.
Have a gripe about something happening or not happening in the community? Send us a Letter to the Editor by Thursday at 5 p.m. for the following week’s edition. Try to keep them around 300 words, and we’ll do our best to get them all in.
Also, don’t forget to visit us on Facebook, and on the web at advocateweekly.com. There will be some changes coming there, too, in the not too distant future.
Finally, there are certain to be a few growing pains over the next few months, so be sure to tell us what you like and what you don’t. And we’ll do our best to respond.
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