LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Two months ago, we announced the first of two major initiatives to improve our coverage of Ventura County--the launch of new Our Times publications throughout the county to give you more news about your community.
This week, we are happy to announce some additional important improvements to the Ventura County Edition of The Times that will concentrate even more local news and features in these B Section pages.
Starting Tuesday, we will move our Ventura County business news out of the financial section and into the B Section. From now on, you will be able to find our Business Review and Roundup columns, as well as other local financial news, right here every Tuesday. We also are adding a new feature called “The Business Beat,” a weekly report on local businesses and business trends.
Our other addition to the B Section will be a four-day smorgasbord of arts, entertainment and family activity news called “Out and About.” On Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, we will zero in on subjects ranging from the best in local drama to the hottest buys in the outlet malls.
On Thursdays, we will feature a new “Spotlight” column by Wendy Miller, focusing on the many facets of our local cultural scene. The Thursday “Out and About” package will include the latest theater news and tips on the best bets for weekend family outings.
On Fridays, the lineup will shift to music, with reports on classical, rock and country happenings. Saturdays will bring you reviews on local shopping, the latest food and restaurant news, and updates on the best buys at local markets. On Sundays, the focus will turn to the arts and the local writers’ scene.
Many of the “Out and About” features will be moving from our Weekend Calendar Section on Thursdays. Others are new features. By bringing them together in the same section with the award-winning local news coverage that already marks the B Section, we hope to make it easier for you to find local news and features in one convenient place. We think of it as one-stop shopping for our readers.
Not everything is changing, of course. In Weekend Calendar, for example, you will still find complete arts and entertainment listings of just about every event that might interest you in Ventura County. We will also continue to offer Best Bets for the weekend in Weekend Calendar. Ventura County sports coverage will remain in the Sports Section.
For the most part, however, this is a season of change for us. Today, for example, we are adding a new Reading page on B2. This is part of a paper-wide effort by The Times to help address one of our most critical needs: improving the early reading habits and skills of children.
We are also making other moves this week. The Newswatch column on A1 will be replaced by a more concise index box referring to our top B Section stories. The Education page is moving from Mondays to Wednesdays. And, with the human touch in mind, we are adding another Ventura County Life column on Wednesdays to go with the Sunday columns that have become one of our most popular features.
All these changes have been months in the making, and they culminate a great year for us. Our circulation in Ventura County has grown dramatically this year. We hope that means you like what we have been doing, and we believe you will like these improvements even more.
Please give me a call at 653-7522 and let me know what you think. And if you have any ideas about other improvements we could make, we’d be grateful as always to hear from you.
BILL OVEREND
Ventura County Editor
