NEWS
Publisher's Note Print E-mail
Wednesday, 01 September 2010

September 1, 2010

Dear World Tea News subscribers,

First, my apologies in the delay in getting you this long overdue communication.  As many of you have realized, we have stopped sending the weekly e-news and posting news to the website following the conclusion of the World Tea Expo in mid-June.

There were some ancillary events that expedited this decision, but the primary reason has been the overdue need for us to re-tool the World Tea News site and business model.   Many of you are aware of the challenges facing news organizations and publications in today’s market.  Major newspapers have collapsed and print trade publications are a dying breed as a result of a massive shift in advertising dollars into digital media.  While we have become accustomed to information over the internet being free, the cost of producing quality content is not.

From the onset of creating the World Tea News we believed that a digital platform offers the best medium.  Relevant news is delivered immediately, not weeks after it happens, and multiple resources can be available at the click of a mouse.    To date, we have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into creating, developing, and publishing WTN.  We believe it is an important product for our industry and community to continue to flourish.  And with over 8,000 subscribers, we believe you agree.

Over the coming months, we will be redeveloping the World Tea News to offer an even more robust resource for you and your business.  We will be conducting a series of surveys and organize focus groups to accomplish this goal.  The new model will continue to allow free basic access to information and offer premium content for paid subscribers.  The nominal monthly subscription fee will allow us to continue to invest in our common goal of increasing awareness and consumption of specialty and premium tea in North America. 

We thank you for your past, present, and future interest and loyalty to the World Tea News. 

 

Sincerely,

George Jage

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Publisher, World Tea News

President, World Tea Media