New Sunday newspaper set to debut

We saw an opportunity to create a new product that will serve our core constituencies – readers and advertisers – in a way that's not being done.”

Keven Todd, president and publisher

The GateHouse Media Delaware Group is about to change the way many in central Delaware think about Sunday. The multimedia news and information company already produces half a dozen newspapers and associated digital properties across the state, but when Kent County SUNDAY debuts Oct. 12 it will be a bit of a departure for the operation.

According to company officials, Kent County SUNDAY is different from any other newspaper they currently produce and it will be distinctive in relation to other newspapers in the marketplace.  The focus on all local content, the visual presentation, targeted home delivery throughout the county, and a low $1 cover price sets it apart.

"We saw an opportunity to create a new product that will serve our core constituencies – readers and advertisers – in a way that's not being done," President and Publisher Keven Todd said. "We're taking a bit more of a news magazine approach, but keeping the focus on the people and issues impacting central Delaware."

Todd said that while he remains unabashedly bullish on the future of print newspapers, Kent County SUNDAY also will have a digital component as well. Much of the print content, associated videos and other multimedia offerings will be accessible to readers through existing websites for the Dover Post, Smyrna Clayton Sun-Times and Milford Beacon, but there will also be access through kcsunday.com, which is currently under construction.

"Whether it's print or online, content really is the key," Todd said. "While Delaware is relatively small, the people, the places, the events and the personalities that make Kent County what it is will loom large in these pages. Readers have the opportunity to make a real connection with a Sunday newspaper unlike most other days of the week, and this product will do that in a very local, personal way."

Executive Editor Sundra Hominik, who leads the news team for GateHouse Media Delaware, said the content mix and visual presentation will keep readers coming back for more every week.

"Each issue of Kent County Sunday will feature stories, photographs and other content that will appeal to people who live and work in the county or who care about what's happening here," Hominik said. "For instance, our readers have told us that they want to see more business news so we'll have a weekly article talking with business owners in Kent County. "

More than 21,000 copies of Kent County SUNDAY will be distributed initially through targeted home delivery as well availability at newsstands including outlets such as Wawa and Royal Farms.

"Based on national averages, that distribution will yield roughly 50,000 readers a week," Todd said. "That's the kind of critical mass advertisers find attractive and we can deliver that in an affordable and effective way for businesses who seek to reach more than one-third of homes in Kent County, which just happens to include many of the most affluent as well."