Due to the economic impact of the coronavirus, the Storm Lake Pilot-Tribune will be temporarily suspending one print day while continuing to bulk up online content for subscribers. The Pilot-Tribune will be printed and distributed on Tuesdays and Fridays beginning March 31.

“As we all know, the effects of the COVID-19 virus are having a huge impact on our community, just like communities all around the country and the world,” said Paula Buenger, Publisher. “As businesses struggle with the new normal, we are seeing a steep decline in advertising revenue.”

“Our news staff will be producing new content on a regular basis, and posting these stories online for subscribers,” Buenger continued. “We will also continue to post vital COVID-19 news in front of the paywall for all residents.”

“Anyone who reads the newspaper only in print won’t miss any local stories, though,” Buenger added. “Local stories will also be in print the next edition. That includes obituaries, police reports, sports, the business page, and almost everything else local.”

The move is necessitated by the steep drop-off in newspaper pre-prints and advertising, caused by store closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“As readers know, you can usually find inserts in the newspaper,” Buenger said. “But with some stores closing temporarily, along with other local businesses, we basically lose money every time we print. That’s why we so appreciate and thank our loyal readers for staying with us. The only way we can continue as a business - keeping our reporters providing this valuable content - is if people maintain their subscriptions and new readers sign up.

“It is our hope the publishing change is a temporary one,” Buenger said. “It is our hope that, once this crisis has passed, our local business community will bounce back, with a resilience we know it possesses, and our large pre-print customers will once again invite customers back with their circulars and promotions.”