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Bringing you fact-based journalism takes work. Sustaining it takes your support.

There is a lot of news out there, but it's hard to find independent, fact-based journalism you can depend on, especially during these unprecedented times. Our journalists are working around the clock to provide the best coverage possible of our local community. However, advertising revenue is a fraction of what it once was. And so we must fight for our own survival while continuing to bring you vital news and information.

But there's hope. Thousands of your friends and neighbors have stepped up to help sustain our reporting efforts. By becoming subscribing members, they have embraced the idea that the value they receive is worth at least $5 a month. However, many more like them need to do the same to allow us to retain our talented journalists.

Will you join them in supporting the local journalism you depend on and become a subscribing member today?

Dear Friend of The Almanac:

If you're reading this email it's because you've been receiving, reading and valuing the award-winning local journalism our reporters and editors are working hard to produce every single day.

You are likely a regular reader of Express, our daily email news digest that gives you a short summary of that day's local news and upcoming events along with links to the stories. Express allows you to stay on top of what's happening in the community, at city hall, in the schools and during important breaking news events. It's also your gateway to the more comprehensive coverage on our website. 

But as much as you value the work our team is doing, you haven't yet taken the step of actually helping to sustain it by becoming a subscribing member.* 

Our future depends on readers like you understanding the immense challenges that are threatening local media all across the country and, yes, even here. 

The pandemic has exacerbated the problem because, with so many independent businesses hurting, up to half of advertising revenue has disappeared. That is a crisis in itself.

But you may not realize that the plight of local news organizations was already dire in pre-COVID times. The future of local journalism is in doubt because of a steady decade-long decline in local advertising brought on by the disruption of independent local retail by online shopping. Newspapers all across the country are facing this challenge.

I'm often asked by readers and friends why we are turning to readers for support when we seem to have "plenty" of advertising. I explain that our costs are largely fixed and that every advertising category has steadily eroded over the last 10 years, as it has all over the country. When revenues decline, most news organizations cut costs and in doing so diminish the quality of what they do. It's a downward spiral that we are determined to avoid. Instead, we have chosen to operate at a loss, helped temporarily by a PPP loan, with confidence that our readers will accept the challenge of paying for something they value.

To secure the future of our company, we had already begun to shift our business model to one built on reader support rather than on advertising. We can only succeed in this transition, however, if current readers like you -- those who read our daily Express news digest, visit our website for the latest local news or read the print edition -- do your part by becoming a subscribing member.

So I humbly ask that you consider doing your part to ensure the stability of this critical community resource. Think about how the last six months would have been had our team of journalists not been bringing you trustworthy reporting on COVID, the fires and all the other local news that impacts your life and the community.  

As we transition to a reader-supported business model we have set an ambitious goal of a thousand new members each month between now and the end of the year. For the cost of just a couple of coffees a month, you can become a part of our growing community of supporters and help keep local news coverage alive and well.

With gratitude,

Bill Johnson
President & Founder
Embarcadero Media

Will you help sustain local journalism and become a subscribing member today? 

Dear Reader:

When I wrote to you just over a month ago, I shared with you that our news organization had never covered a story with as many impacts on all our lives as the COVID-19 crisis.

Then on May 25, George Floyd, lying on his stomach in handcuffs, was killed by Minneapolis police in full view of stunned bystanders with cell phone videos capturing the final nine minutes of his life.

What already seemed like an immensely challenging time for our staff and the community became much more complicated. Like journalists across the country, our team stepped up to simultaneously cover two emotional news stories that were shaking our souls, our confidence in government and our sense of well-being.  

We're living in a world that feels very chaotic, divided and in pain. It is in times like these--when people are especially hungry for, and in need of, truthful information--that the importance of good local journalism is so clear.  

Our team of journalists has been working harder than ever, under unprecedented circumstances, to bring you accurate, fact-based local news in an increasingly polarized and stressful environment. Like many of you, they are mentally and physically exhausted and emotionally drained. Yet they are as committed as ever to covering the news and the difficult issues we are facing, while also being mindful of other important stories. 

Similarly, as an organization devoted to the examination of important issues and shining light where there has been darkness, we are compelled to find ways to create meaningful discussion and engagement among members of the community. We hope you will be a part of that journey.

As our community undertakes difficult conversations about racial inequalities and considers concrete steps to reform police and other policies, practices and priorities, we are committed to doing everything we can to keep the energy and momentum of the protests over the last few weeks alive so that George Floyd's killing, and those of many others, spurs us on to action. 

Next Thursday, June 25, we will host a virtual Town Hall meeting, "Race, Policing and the Color of Justice," featuring a panel of individuals who are engaged in achieving meaningful reforms at a local level. The following week, we'll be presenting a second forum featuring the owners of several black-owned restaurants discussing their unique challenges. Watch for invitations to these free events in the next few days. 

We are acutely aware of our responsibilities as the primary local news organization serving our community. In spite of our efforts to hire and retain a diverse staff, our results are mixed, especially with regards to African Americans. We can do better at reflecting all parts of our community.  

Thank you to all those who are supporting local journalism through your membership subscription. Your support means we can retain and recruit an outstanding and diverse team of employees. There has never been a time when the importance of a trusted local news source was more obvious than today.

If you value local journalism and have not become a subscribing member yet, we ask you to consider joining the thousands of other locals supporting our reporting efforts and become a member today.

Thank you,

Bill Johnson
Founder and President

We all feel tremendous empathy for those residents whose loved ones have been victims of COVID-19, as well as the large number of people who have lost their jobs or been furloughed. As we enter the eighth week of sheltering in place it seemed like a good time to give you a brief update on how we're doing.

As our reporters work hard to keep you informed on the crisis and the heroic work of health care professionals, nurses and first responders, I feel immense gratitude and pride for how the community has responded. With so much uncertainty about the future, every one of us is trying to thoughtfully sort out our plans for when and how we safely return to a new "normal."

Our team at The Almanac is remaining in operation (albeit mostly from home and, for some, on a reduced schedule) as an essential business. Our employees are therefore struggling with the dual stresses of covering an emotional and continuing breaking news story and coping with social isolation and the needs of their extended families.

At the same time, the closure of businesses and shelter-at-home orders meant very few businesses had anything to advertise, forcing us to make the difficult decision to suspend our print edition on April 1. Like many other businesses, we face an unprecedented business crisis. 

Thankfully, we have been able to continue reporting online with the support of hundreds of local residents who have become subscribing members in the last seven weeks. And two weeks ago we were also relieved to receive an SBA PPP loan that will offset some of our losses. We are hoping to be able to resume our print edition soon after businesses are able to reopen. But the high cost of printing and mailing a printed newspaper makes this far from certain. Whether we determine we can resume the print edition or not, we are firmly committed to continue to serve the community with the high quality and trusted online local news coverage you have come to expect and that we have been providing for many years. 

You may not realize that the plight of local news organizations was already dire, and the future of local journalism in doubt, because of a steady decade-long decline in local advertising brought on by the disruption of independent local retail by online shopping. Newspapers all across the country are facing this challenge, and many simply can't afford to continue.

To secure the future of our company, we had already begun to shift our business model over the last two years to one built on reader support rather than on advertising. We can only succeed in this transition, however, if current readers like you -- those who read our daily Express news digest, visit our website for the latest local news or have read the print edition of The Almanac -- do your part by becoming a subscribing member.

We frequently hear from readers and friends who believe they are subscribers because The Almanac was delivered to their home or because they receive Express every morning by email. Unfortunately, that's not the case. 

If you are reading this email, it means that you are NOT a subscriber to either The Almanac or our website under the email address I am using to reach you today. (If you think you may have used a different email address to subscribe, you will know if you are receiving "Local Scoop," the newsletter we email exclusively to active subscribers on the second week of each month. Scoop provides a glimpse inside our journalism, invitations to subscriber-only events and occasional free tickets to local entertainment events.)

Your support is more important to our future now than ever before. It will allow us to retain an outstanding team of journalists who are vital to our community staying well-informed. There has never been a time when the importance of a trusted local news source was more obvious than today.

If you value local journalism, please do your part to keep it thriving. Help us reach our goal of 800 new subscribers by the end of June and become a member today.

Thank you,

Bill Johnson

Founder and President
Embarcadero Media

Survival Stories: How three Peninsula eateries are adapting during the pandemic

6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 27
Presented to you virtually on Zoom

Panelists

Moderator

Reserve your Moonlight Run shirt, submit photos of your run, and watch as your dollars turn into grants for ~50 Palo Alto non-profits.

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Youth Rising Up:
Can Gen Z Lead on Social Change?

7:00 - 8:35 p.m.
Thursday, August 6
Presented to you virtually on Zoom

Panelists

Moderator

Dear Almanac Reader, 

I want to take a brief moment to express our thanks to the thousands of you who are supporting local journalism through your membership subscription. Your membership tells us that you value the work our team does and recognize its importance to sustaining a healthy and vibrant community. 

For those of you who haven't yet gotten around to starting a membership (or renewing one that has expired), Thanksgiving week would be a great time to express your gratitude and appreciation! You'll get unlimited access to all our websites, our monthly members-only newsletter, special subscriber giveaways and other benefits. But most of all, you'll join a growing group of your neighbors who want to ensure that fact-based local journalism continues to thrive. 

Learn more and sign up here.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving weekend.
 

Sincerely,

Bill Johnson
President & Founder
Embarcadero Media

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Race, Policing and the Color of Justice

7:00 - 8:15 p.m.
Thursday, June 25
Presented to you virtually on Zoom

Panelists

Black Food Matters: Race and Local Food Entrepreneurs

Panelists

Moderator

Dear Almanac Reader, 

As 2020 draws to a close and we reflect on the last year, we thought you would enjoy this short video showing the creation of an illustration by one of our talented graphic designers, Douglas Young. Douglas occasionally records a time-lapse video as he is digitally creating an illustration for a story, and it''s both interesting and inspiring to see how it''s done. This one was for a May 8 Palo Alto Weekly story on the lack of available COVID tests.

We often write to you about the work of our reporters, but we are also fortunate to have a staff of designers who work alongside our editors to create original pieces of art for our papers and websites. We''re proud of their talents too!

As we look forward to a better 2021, we want to thank you for your continued readership and support. Democracy is strengthened by strong local journalism and residents who are inspired by it to get involved in community issues. 

May the New Year bring happiness and good health to your family.

Sincerely,

Bill Johnson
President & Founder
Embarcadero Media