The Publisher's Desk

Register Citizen welcomes new department heads

2009-11-12T13:05:00.002-05:00

We've made some important changes and additions to the leadership team at The Register Citizen and its sister publications.

CLICK HERE to read more.

LATEST COLUMN: How are we doing? Well, thanks for asking

2009-11-12T13:04:00.000-05:00

How are we doing? Well, thanks for asking
If I had a dollar for every casual conversation these days that starts with or turns to the woes of the newspaper industry, I’d have enough money to, well, buy a few dozen friends a subscription, at least.

Offspring

2009-08-26T19:59:00.004-04:00

On a personal note, I am pleased to announce an addition to my family.

Cash Reto DeRienzo was born at 11:49 a.m. yesterday, in the car on the way to New Milford Hospital!

He weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 19.25 inches long. He joins a very excited sister, Marley, age 2 1/2.

I will be taking a few days off from my duties as publisher to enjoy my new son.

LATEST COLUMN: Give Your Employees a Chance to Give This Fall

2009-08-24T09:39:00.000-04:00

Give Your Employees A Chance To Give This Fall

As co-chairmen of the United Way of Northwest Connecticut campaign this year, Litchfield Bancorp Executive Vice President Tom Villanova and I are feeling the pressure. Demand for services at the 24 local agencies and nonprofit organizations the United Way supports has grown tremendously over the past year due to the significant downturn in the economy.

LATEST COLUMN: Newspaper adjusts to changing reader habits, technology

2009-08-17T10:06:00.000-04:00

Newspaper adjusts to changing reader habits, technology

About a year ago, The Register Citizen dropped its Sunday TV listings book. It was a move that had been made by numerous other daily newspapers across the country. Since then, many more have followed suit.

New features planned in Sunday Register Citizen

2009-08-06T17:03:00.001-04:00

The Register Citizen will unveil a number of improvements to its Sunday paper, including a major expansion in the space and number of pages devoted to local news coverage, effective with this week’s edition on Aug. 9.

“We are committed to continual improvement,” said Register Citizen Publisher Matt DeRienzo, “and after a year in which we significantly expanded local news coverage in the daily paper, we felt that adding more to the Sunday edition was long overdue. The Sunday paper should stand out from the rest of the week, as readers have time to enjoy more extensive and in-depth articles and features.”

Changes include an expansion of the number of pages devoted to local news coverage, and the launch of a new, second local news section of the paper called “Northwest Connecticut.” It will contain local news articles, a new weekly human interest story on remarkable people from Northwest Connecticut, and the popular “Notebook” feature and local crossword and word search puzzles that were launched earlier this year.

One of the most significant additions to the Sunday paper will be a feature of the “Northwest Connecticut” section that will include news items every week for every one of the 26 towns in Litchfield County.

The paper will reintroduce the popular “A Life Remembered” feature each Sunday on the life of a local resident who has recently passed away.

A new feature called “It’s My Job,” detailing the workplace experiences of local people, will anchor the Sunday business page.

Space will be added to provide a more comprehensive roundup of news from across the nation and world, and a new section will feature advice, lifestyle and feature articles.

The Sunday sports section will also see improvements this week, with the addition of a “Coach’s Corner” feature sharing the wisdom and techniques of local coaches, a “Where are they now?” feature on how local high school athletes are faring in college athletic programs and beyond, a weekly notebook feature on UConn sports, and the introduction of three new opinion columns on local, state and national sports, respectively.

Also with this Sunday’s newspaper, The Register Citizen will re-launch a weekly TV listings book. The 24-page tabloid will be far more extensive than the one discontinued by the paper last year, published with color throughout, seven days’ of listings and articles, features, editors’ picks, celebrity news and puzzles. It will be included free in the Sunday Register Citizens of Aug. 9 and Aug. 16, and then offered for an additional 50 cents a week to any home delivery subscriber who would like to continue getting it.

“We think these new features, combined with continuing Sunday favorites such as our Owen Canfield, Mike Driscoll and the Garden Goddess columns, color comics, coupons, department store fliers, Parade magazine, local history features and more, will make the Sunday paper an even better bargain for our readers throughout Northwest Connecticut,” DeRienzo said.

For more information about these changes, contact Publisher Matt DeRienzo at mderienzo@registercitizen.com or 860-489-1877, or Editor Jordan Fenster at jfenster@registercitizen.com or 860-489-3121, ext. 333.

Litchfield County Mom magazine out Friday

2009-08-05T15:30:00.002-04:00

LitchfieldCountyMom.Com the magazine will be included in copies of The Register Citizen this Friday, Aug. 7.

The format for the quarterly print edition is switching from a tabloid newsprint product to a glossy-cover magazine-style format.

This Summer 2009 issue will include a cover story on dozens of things moms can do in Litchfield County when they get a rare moment of "me time."

Look for it in The Register Citizen on newsstands this Friday.

Register Citizen to re-launch TV book

2009-08-03T16:22:00.000-04:00

Bucking a nationwide trend and its own decision to eliminate it last year, The Register Citizen will be re-launching a weekly TV listings book starting this Sunday, Aug. 9.

The new 24-page tabloid will go far beyond what used to be offered in The Register Citizen’s Sunday TV book. It will include seven days’ worth of TV listings, printed entirely in color, and will also have articles, editor’s picks, TV and celebrity gossip news, puzzles and more.

The Register Citizen eliminated its Sunday TV book last year as interest among subscribers declined in favor of the interactive TV guide functions that come with new cable TV boxes. But a core group of readers remain interested in having a printed TV book, and so the newspaper is re-launching the book on a subscription basis.

Subscribers who wish to receive it can have the new TV book included in their Sunday paper for an additional 50 cents a week. To sign up, all you have to do is call 860-489-1450 and ask for the TV book to be added to your subscription, or make the request by email at circulation@registercitizen.com and include your account information.

The new TV book will be included free of charge in all copies of the Sunday Register Citizen this Sunday, Aug. 9, and the following Sunday, Aug. 16, so that readers can sample it.

Try The Register Citizen for free

2009-07-29T15:03:00.002-04:00

In celebration of a number of improvements that have been made to The Register Citizen over the past year, we are offering free trial home delivery subscriptions.

If it's been a while since you read The Register Citizen on a regular basis, why not give it a try? When the two weeks is up, you will not receive a bill, and there will be no further obligation.

All you have to do to sign up is call 860-489-1450 and ask for our two-week free offer, or email your name, address, delivery instructions and a daytime phone number to circulation@registercitizen.com.

LATEST COLUMN: When the thread of a community unravels

2009-07-20T13:43:00.001-04:00

When the thread of a community unravels
It felt like a death in the family. Word came last week that the Eagle Times, a daily newspaper straddling the Connecticut River Valley in the area of Claremont, N.H., and Springfield, Vt., would shut down, effective the next day. Editors, reporters, ad salespeople, graphic artists, delivery drivers — everyone — would be out of a job.

A note about Web comments

2009-06-25T10:46:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd weigh in this morning on the back-and-forth about Web comments on Sound Off and other stories.We have set this up as a COMMUNITY forum. Comments from the public, just like letters to the editor, or opinion columns that we publish on the editorial page, do not speak for, or necessarily represent, the views of the newspaper or its staff.
Contrary to what one poster has said this morning, requiring email registration of some kind does nothing to confirm anyone's identity. Anyone can register an email address under a false name. There is, in fact, NO WAY AT ALL to confirm identity of comments on the Web. That being said, an IP address is attached to every comment, and if someone acted criminally with a comment, a judge could order that an Internet provider identify that person. The standard to get a judge to take that kind of step is pretty high.
We choose not to require registration because all it does is slow commenting down to an absolute halt. It would kill the existence of this forum. So would a delay in posting comments for the purposes of prescreening.
BUT ... I strongly agree that comments, especially in the past few days, have been way over the line in attacking people personally, and we will not tolerate it. Please use the "Report Abuse" button next to every comment to report stuff like this when you see it, and we will take it down ASAP. We will also be banning the IP addresses of users who have crossed the line in recent days, and will continue to use that option to protect this forum for the vast majority of readers and commenters who do not abuse it.

LATEST COLUMN: From Torrington to the world, micro-lending makes an impact

2009-06-22T11:50:00.001-04:00

From Torrington to the world, micro-lending makes an impact
I’ve never been to Paraguay. And it would take me a few minutes to pick it out on a globe. South America, right? And I’ve never even balanced my checkbook, but am a successful small business lender. I helped finance a group of 18 women in the community of Asunción, Paraguay, who needed startup money to sell milk, flour, cheese, eggs and other food items and clothing to support their families.

Graduation photos

2009-06-19T15:47:00.002-04:00

If you've noticed the amazing shots that Register Citizen staff photographers Sonja Zinke and Mic Nicosia have taken at recent high school graduations in Northwest Connecticut, you should know that many other great photos from these events don't make the print edition of the newspaper.
But the shots in the paper and dozens more that don't make it ARE available online to be purchased as glossy reprints in various sizes.
And you can even get these photos placed on a coffee mug, mouse pad or T-shirt.
CLICK HERE to check them out.

More features at LitchfieldCountyMom.Com

2009-06-18T11:37:00.001-04:00

Check out some of our latest updates at LitchfieldCountyMom.Com ...

Local teens, drinking and drunken driving: It's a problem that could be getting worse in Litchfield County and throughout Connecticiut.
CLICK HERE for the story.
Local school officials are defending their refusal to allow virtually any celebration or mention of major holidays in the classroom.
CLICK HERE for the story.

Community Advisory Board planned

2009-06-17T10:46:00.000-04:00

We are planning to create a Community Advisory Board to help us steer the content and functionality of the Web site and print edition of LitchfieldCountyMom.Com.
The commitment would be meeting with other local moms about four times a year to brainstorm and offer your critiques and suggestions for LitchfieldCountyMom.Com.
Interested in serving? Contact me at 860-489-1877 or by email at mderienzo@journalregister.com.

Readers' Choice winners to be announced

2009-06-12T10:44:00.002-04:00

Winners of the 2009 Register Citizen Readers' Choice awards will be announced in a special section in the Tuesday, June 23, edition of The Register Citizen.
Each year, the newspaper's readers vote with print ballots and online for their favorite local businesses in various categories, such as Best Dry Cleaner, Best Takeout Restaurant, etc.

Why we put everything online

2009-06-11T11:05:00.001-04:00

Thought I'd share this exchange from the comments section of "Sound Off" today ...

Id like to know wrote on Jun 11, 2009 10:28 AM:
" ...why the entire Register Citizen is available online? Isn't that an unwise move on their part? I used yo buy the print edition but since my husband discovered he could read everything online, he dropped the subscription. Do other papers do this? "

Matt DeRienzo wrote on Jun 11, 2009 10:48 AM:
" Hi folks,
Thought I'd respond to the question posed by "I'd like to know" at 10:28 a.m.
The Register Citizen puts most of its content up online because it has adapted to a significant portion of the population's changing reading habits. We benefit whether you are reading the print edition of The Register Citizen or reading registercitizen.com because we can sell advertising designed to get your attention in either place.
The print edition of The Register Citizen is selling nearly 1,000 copies more than it did this time last year, which is an extremely rare feat in today's newspaper industry.
Meanwhile, registercitizen.com is attracting DOUBLE the readers and page views that it was getting one year ago.
Many people still prefer the print edition because of the format and because there is a significant amount of content there (comics, puzzles, advertising circulars, etc.) that is not online.
And many people are reading both ... because the online edition offers breaking news throughout the day, and as you know from reading Sound Off, a robust, interactive debate by readers in the comment sections of stories.
Matt DeRienzo
Publisher
The Register Citizen
860-489-1877
mderienzo@registercitizen.com "

Graduation photos to be published

2009-06-10T16:51:00.003-04:00

Once again this year, The Register Citizen will be publishing the senior photos of high school graduates from throughout Northwest Connecticut.
The photos - from Torrington High School, The Gilbert School, Litchfield High School, Wamogo, Northwestern, Oliver Wolcott Tech, Housatonic and Torrington Christian Academy - will appear in a special edition within the Saturday, June 20, issue of The Register Citizen.
For more information about advertising, contact Natalie McIntosh at 860-489-3121, ext. 312.

LitchfieldCountyMom.Com magazine switching to glossy-cover format

2009-06-08T14:21:00.002-04:00

We are pleased to announce that the quarterly print magazine version of LitchfieldCountyMom.Com will be switching to a true magazine format with the Summer 2009 edition, and will be published with a glossy full-color cover in an 8.5-by-11-inch size.
The first edition of the magazine, printed on heavy white tabloid-format newsprint, was so well-received that we decided to make the jump.
Circulation of the magazine will also be expanded to 23,000 copies so that we can do a better job blanketing all 26 towns in Litchfield County.
The Summer 2009 issue is due out at the end of June, and will be distributed in The Register Citizen, Litchfield County Times, Housatonic Times and Thomaston Express, as well as at single copy locations such as libraries, doctor's offices and coffee shops, throughout Litchfield County.
For more information about advertising, call Tilda Renza Jones at 860-489-3121, ext. 314, or email her at tcrossman@registercitizen.com.

Is your husband suffering from Man-O-Pause?

2009-06-03T16:15:00.002-04:00

Once again, The Register Citizen will be printing a special Father's Day section celebrating the male mid-life crisis and the gifts and toys that could help fathers and husbands get through it.
How to decorate your Man Cave, etc.
It will run on June 16. Contact Natalie McIntosh at 860-489-3121, ext. 312, or adassist@registercitizen.com for information about advertising.

Litchfield County is still Red Sox country

2009-06-02T15:24:00.002-04:00

We catch some flak at The Register Citizen from Yankees fans, including from some within the building, about Red Sox coverage being given stronger play in the newspaper than the American League's team from New York.
I think it's intensified because the publisher is very openly a Red Sox fan and Yankee hater.
Our argument has always been that a majority of people in Northwest Connecticut are Red Sox fans, with Yankees fans admittedly being a close second, and Mets fans being somewhere in the 10 percent range.
Well ... now we have official confirmation.
A Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday made headlines because it showed that statewide, the Yankees were favored slightly over the Red Sox, a switch from one year ago when the Sox were still riding high from their second World Series win of the decade.
But when you break the poll down by region within Connecticut, 41 percent of Litchfield County residents are Red Sox fans, compared to 32 percent pledging allegiance to the Yankees.
The poll showed 11 percent supporting the Mets, but also showed 9 percent as Chicago Cubs fans, so try to figure that one out. (The Cubs registered at 2 percent in New London County and not at all in the rest of the state.)
In fact, if you remove Fairfield County (which is basically a borough of New York City anyway) and New Haven County (just because), Connecticut is firmly a member of Red Sox Nation.
Hartford County favors the Red Sox, 53 to 37 percent, and New London County, 59 to 28 percent.

LATEST COLUMN: When it comes to community news, the answer is 'Yes'

2009-06-01T08:50:00.000-04:00

When it comes to community news, the answer is 'Yes'

I’ve photocopied it literally hundreds of times over the years and handed it out to the reporters and editors in the various newsrooms I’ve led or spoken to as a consultant with The Register Citizen’s parent company.

It’s an advice column from a trade publication from about 10 years ago entitled, “How to be a ‘Yes’ Editor.” The brief, simple message is that local newspapers are here to provide in-depth community coverage, and if a community member or reader thinks it is news, it is.

Coupons galore this weekend

2009-05-29T10:07:00.003-04:00

The print edition of tomorrow's Register Citizen will have a different front page than your used to seeing.
Wrapped around the paper will be 10 coupons featuring great discounts from a number of local merchants.
And as always, pick up Sunday's paper for our regular package of manufacturers' coupons.
Your 50 cents tomorrow will more than pay for itself!

Mom site on Channel 3

2009-05-28T11:50:00.002-04:00

LitchfieldCountyMom.Com got some great attention recently on Channel 3, the CBS affiliate in Hartford.
CLICK HERE for the video.

Online moms' business directory launched

2009-05-27T14:15:00.002-04:00

A new feature has been launched at www.litchfieldcountymom.com ... a directory of resources for local moms including classes, camps, daycare centers and more.
CLICK HERE to check it out.
Listings are available at an extremely affordable low monthly rate, and you can upload the text and graphics for your listing yourself online.