A letter from Julie Ann Grimm

For the last six weeks, the Santa Fe Reporter has published a series of letters asking for your support of our ongoing journalism mission. This one is the final ask of our 2020 fall campaign.

We know lots of people doing good work are also asking for your money. We hope you are able to give generously to those organizations and efforts you value, and to give of your time and energy when money isn't an option.

Thank you for reading this far and for every time you have clicked on a SFR web story or opened the pages of a print edition.

We love working hard to deliver news and culture journalism. Yet, that prospect remains a difficult one.

Social, cultural, academic and entertainment event have long been among main attractions to Santa Fe, and for many of you, to the Reporter. So, the public health orders that halted and limited those happenings have taken a toll on the community and on the newspaper.

SFR was founded in 1974, and over the decades has taken pride in adapting and growing. Just in the last year, we've gone through another wave of change. We endured furloughs and layoffs in the spring, as many local businesses couldn't advertise since they weren't open. We reduced the number of pages in each issue by half and cut the number of copies in weekly circulation by the same measure. While we did publish our annual Restaurant Guide amid great uncertainty in June, our annual Best of Santa Fe Party in the Railyard in late July was a no-fly and we had to call off the Secret Supper series and a planned short film festival too. We've made plans to leave the Marcy Street office and relocate in December to a more affordable space in Pacheco Park.

Some choices, like our move away from pricey downtown real estate, are permanent. Others, such as the reduced number of pages, are intended to be temporary. As the picture improves, we also plan to restore circulation. Our new home, however, will help keep overhead low and put more of every dollar we earn toward journalism. As editor and publisher, that's my daily priority.

Today, the SFR team consists of 12 full-time workers and two part-time. Seven are in our newsroom; two are pros in sales; three comprise the production and circulation departments. Four drivers also work every Wednesday morning to distribute the weekly edition.

And then there are all of you. More than 600 individuals and businesses have made donations to Friends of the Reporter since we launched the program in August 2019. We had no idea then just how important it would be. Other alt-weekly newspapers were forced to stop publication for a few months this summer after the pandemic hit; some closed entirely. Santa Fe—and the Reporter—have been fortunate in comparison. Together with grants and our loyal advertisers, the donations from our readers have kept our ship afloat this year.

If you've arrived at this sentence, I don't need to tell you what the Reporter does. You are a reader. You already know. Help us keep doing it if you can. Let's be Friends.

Julie Ann Grimm Editor and Publisher, Santa Fe Reporter

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This letter from Julie Ann Grimm is part of a series we are publishing about Friends of the Reporter, a new model for supporting our journalism mission. Visit sfreporter.com/friends, to make a one-time or recurring donation. You’ll get perks like discounts on on our merch and a monthly giveaway.