An ending, and new start
On July 4, this country will mark its 233rd anniversary, celebrating our independence from the Old World, and our interdependence on one another as Americans.
On that same day, the staffs of the Glendale News-Press and Crescenta Valley Sun will combine, recognizing and celebrating our ties by city and region. Instead of receiving La Crescenta, Montrose, Verdugo City and North Glendale news once a week, you will now see daily updates on news, sports and features.
And that’s just online. The print edition of the Glendale News-Press comes out Monday through Saturday, giving you more — and more timely — Crescenta Valley news.
As a result of this merger, Valley Sun readers will also see greatly expanded coverage of Glendale politics, sports, society and education. As much of the Valley Sun’s coverage area lies within Glendale city limits, it only makes sense to provide a clearer understanding of the decisions made south of the Ventura Freeway. Those decisions affect us all, both inside and out of the city limits, and knowledge is truly power.
Though I am excited about this, it does mean change. The final edition of the Crescenta Valley Sun will be on July 3. However, I want to assure you that the quality and depth of coverage will remain as it ever was.
I understand that many of you may have questions about how this merger will function, and how it will affect your experience as a reader. Please contact me with your concerns, and I will answer you the best that I can.
But, first, I want to answer a question on many peoples’ minds. Namely, why we are doing this? The paper has only been around since 2002, but I know many readers quickly made it part of their weekly ritual. The answer, frankly, is overlapping and duplicating coverage. On many occasions, both the News-Press and Sun would cover the same event, using different reporters, photographers and editors. We could no longer afford to do this. We cannot afford to not utilize every staff member in the most efficient manner possible.
With this change, we can cover more stories, cover them more completely, and get them to you faster. The combined staffs of the News-Press and Sun will be better equipped to follow breaking news, write in-depth features, and better serve as a watchdog of governmental dealings.
We recently instituted a Twitter account — which you can follow at GlendaleNP — and soon will have blogs and a redesigned website. The overarching idea is to dramatically increase the transparency of our news-gathering, and, by extension, make the paper a more vital part of the community.
In addition, I plan on attending as many Crescenta Valley events as I can during this coming month. I understand this is a unique and special place, and I firmly believe that the News-Press can capture its essence. However, only you can tell me how well we’re succeeding, and I urge you to tell us.
DAN EVANS is the director of editorial. He can be reached at (818) 637-3234 or dan.evans@latimes.com.