From newsletters to politics to barbecue, we want to stay connected with you
Some of us had it slightly OK in a weird way for the past two years.
Pets tolerated hanging out with us.
Navigating Interstate 440, I-40 or N.C. 147 didn’t require the skill of a NASCAR driver. (I appreciate morning TV reporters who make all-green traffic maps feel adventurous.)
And thanks to Zoom, who didn’t mind multitasking on Amazon.com while attending the mandated, 90-minute seminar on how to sign up for company benefits in just 28 easy links?
Hooray for us. We’re back to standing in lines. And — the definitive sign that times are changin’ — the Triangle’s 89 trillion grocery stores have plenty of overpriced (yet plushy) toilet paper on the shelves.
But not everyone has left the house. Like many Triangle businesses, The News & Observer is trying to figure out what a hybrid work environment looks like in this variants-weary moment in time. The pandemic changed how we connect with customers and colleagues. We have to reach out but also respect people’s comfort zones. (Tell me you don’t inch away when someone coughs more than once.)
We’re trying to figure it out. But I like how The N&O is engaging your interests in different ways — even when we’re not in the same place:
▪ You’re going to see more of us. We’re easing into live events. We’ve reached seating capacity for both of our “Politics at the Pub” events, a joint offering of NC Insider and The N&O that brings together a small group of residents to enjoy drinks and hear from politics experts. Your feedback tells us that you want to meet others with similar interests, interact with N&O journalists and learn about the issues driving the Triangle and North Carolina.
▪ You like newsletters that provide news you can use. We recently launched “RDU on the Rise” to focus on the Triangle’s growing audience of young professionals. We offer newsletters on interests ranging from ACC sports to tech to being a Triangle newcomer. Longtime editor Mark Schultz oversees separate newsletters for growing Durham and Orange counties. All of these newsletters are doing well, based upon audience analytics that show you’re paying attention and clicking on story links. (Plus, when we make mistakes in the newsletters, you let us know. Immediately.) Expect more newsletters in the coming months. And newsletter-inspired events.
▪ You want to be informed voters. Longtime subscriber George Tosky recently wrote to express why he had The N&O delivered and how he wanted issues-driven coverage of state and local politics. N&O Politics Editor Jordan Schrader thanked him and mentioned that questionnaires are being sent to candidates. Wrote Jordan, “I just wanted to make sure you know that we’re running a number of stories like the ones on your wish list. Those include where candidates stand on key issues, which in the past month include crime, student debt forgiveness and a 15-week abortion ban.”
We’ve also learned that your desire to be engaged voters extends to the state’s top debate topic: Which barbecue style — Eastern or Western — reigns supreme? More than 300,000 votes were cast in The N&O’s Ultimate North Carolina Barbecue Bracket. Food writer (and proud new dad) Drew Jackson started the bracket with 64 of the state’s finest barbecue joints.
Even a soda pop sommelier should be impressed with the bipartisan engagement that went into this campaign. And you didn’t need to stand in line.
Bill Church is executive editor of The N&O. He has 61 barbecue places to go. He is OK with lines when everyone is evenly spaced apart.
This story was originally published September 16, 2022 at 5:27 PM.