Dear Friend,
First of all, thank you for supporting the Houston Press.
Clearly, without our readers we couldn’t exist, couldn’t continue telling you stories that might otherwise have gone untold.
Right now we are dedicated to keeping you informed about every facet of how the coronavirus is affecting our community. This isn’t the first time we’ve all faced adversity. And just as we did during and after Hurricane Harvey, we will continue to report on how you and your neighbors are doing, getting through hard times and going beyond them. We remain #HoustonStrong.
We know you’re experiencing the financial, social and emotional stress caused by the coronavirus. So are we. As local businesses have been forced to temporarily close or cut back, our advertising has suffered. Everyone in our company has taken significant pay cuts, and we’ve also had to lay off colleagues. None of us knows when things will return to normal, or even what normal will look like.
But we’re writing to let you know that whatever happens, we intend to be here to serve the readers, the advertisers and the many other partners who’ve helped us in our mission to provide an independent voice for the people of this great city.
We think that independent voice is even more critical today. We’re willing to bet that you agree. In fact, based on the web traffic we’re getting on houstonpress.com for our coronavirus coverage, we can see that you do. It’s gratifying to see that so many people in Houston rely on us to stay informed, and we want to keep it that way.
Yes, Houston, we’re still online, just a key-stroke away from you, bringing daily reports in food, news, music and the arts.
We want to continue to be part of your life. So that’s why we’re writing: to let you know that we’re still here. Our editor, publisher, reporters, photographers, salespeople and business office employees are on the job, keeping the Houston Press going and doing the work necessary to get you the news. And our digital marketing specialists stand at the ready to help businesses across town weather the crisis and bounce back once the clouds have cleared.
We’ll stay in the fight. Let’s do it together.
Margaret Downing
Editor-in-Chief
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2020.
