Staff report: student newspaper moves to biweekly

The Flor-Ala Staff

Like many areas of campus life during a new school year, The Flor-Ala also undergoes changes, such as adjusting to a new staff, or even experiencing a redesign.

This year, The Flor-Ala is making an ever bigger change: going biweekly.

Since its establishment in 1931, The Flor-Ala has been a weekly newspaper. The change to go biweekly came because of the need to reduce printing costs and to place more time and energy into producing a modern, digital edition of the paper for web and mobile readers, said Student Media Adviser Scott Morris.

“As is the case in commercial news media, much of our readership has moved online,” Morris said. “At UNA, we are enjoying great readership for our online products. That means our student staff and volunteers need to spend much of their energy producing more timely content for florala.net and our social media channels.”

Although there will be less print copies this year, The Flor-Ala’s staff still plans to bring thorough news coverage, lifestyle topics and the latest in sports news every week, along with videos, photo essays and a continuation of our campus culture blog.

“Even though readers will see less print copies, we will be able to share even more information with them,” said Editor-in- Chief Jasmine Fleming. “Because of this change, we’ve gained a less restrictive way of thinking. I also think our readers will appreciate us focusing on bringing them their news in the ways they want to receive it.”

The staff will also launch a biweekly newsletter this year that we be available for non-print weeks.

“The newsletter will allow you to get your campus news anywhere, while being eco-friendly and saving paper,” said Social Media Coordinator Madi Winkler. “It’s the same content but with a new and improved platform.”

Although the print schedule has changed, there will still be plenty of options for advertising with The Flor-Ala, Morris said.

“Advertising in the student newspaper and on our website are still the best ways to reach thousands of students, employees, alumni and UNA supporters,” he said. “We can reach a niche market more efficiently than any other local media can.”

Overall, the staff and The Flor-Ala’s executive board are confident in this decision and the benefits it will have for the 2016-17 year.

“The decision to become a biweekly newspaper was a difficult one to make, but it was necessary,” said Managing Editor Mike Ezekiel. “This move not only makes sense financially but also helps us focus on our online presence and get our stories out quickly to our readers.”