The public is invited to a community meeting to hear and share ideas on how the Sentinel can better serve the town and survive in a world where social media commands more attention than newspapers.
The meeting, organized by the Sentinel, is set for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Stikine Inn.
There will be free cookies and free regular coffee — no free lattes or free cappuccino, though the Stik Café will be open for people who want to buy their special morning coffee.
There is no agenda. The Sentinel staff will open the event with a discussion of the newspaper’s work and financial challenges, and its plans to improve its online presence.
In particular, the newspaper staff hope that non-readers will attend and speak up.
Newspapers nationwide are suffering from the loss of advertising and readers, with small-town weeklies in particular trouble. Seward and Valdez no longer have a local newspaper, and the daily newspapers in Juneau, Kenai and Anchorage have reduced the frequency of their print editions to save money.
Newspapers around the state are working together under a new nonprofit called the Alaska News Coalition to try and figure out what can be done to help improve their operations, expand their reach to younger readers and stabilize their finances.
“We figure asking readers — and non-readers — what they want out of the Sentinel is a good place to start,” said Larry Persily, who has owned the paper since January 2021. “We particularly need to figure out how to get more people interested in reading about their community.”
The Sentinel has contracted for a redesign of its website, making it easier to use on smartphones and tablets, and expects to finish that project by spring. “But we know it will take more than that,” Persily said. “We need to find more answers, and that’s why we’re asking for the community’s suggestions.”
The newspaper is important to Wrangell, covering City Hall, high school sports, community activities, good news and also sad news such as deaths. “The more people who read the news, the more the community shares,” Persily said. “Local news is important, which is why we publish a paper every week,” he added.
“The Sentinel has been around more than 122 years. I have been around more than 73 years. Longevity is good, but change is inevitable. We want to hear from the community about what they might want to see changed.”
One thing that is changing this month is the price of a subscription to the Sentinel. The new rates are $60 a year for delivery to a Wrangell mailbox every week; $85 to an out-of-town address; $120 for first class mail for people outside Wrangell who are in a real hurry; and $40 for online access only (no printed paper) for readers who prefer to get the news on their screen.
All print subscribers will continue to receive online access at no additional charge.
The single-copy price at the stores will increase with the Feb. 5 Sentinel to $2. “It hasn’t changed in more than six years,” Persily said.
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