To the Readers of Southern Neighbor Magazine,

I’m disappointed to announce today that Southern Neighbor Magazine will be taking a hiatus from publishing a monthly print edition in Fall 2018.

DTH Media Corp took over ownership of this venerable community news source nearly three years ago after the retirement of founder Bonnie Schaefer. I’m incredibly proud of the stories we’ve been able to tell in that time, and the student journalists who have cut their teeth writing, taking pictures and designing beautiful pages for you.

While Southern Neighbor continues to fulfill an important mission, financial conditions in the marketplace require a publishing break: You may have heard about the tariffs on Canadian newsprint that are driving up costs at news organizations. Those tariffs add unpredictability to an already difficult time in print journalism.

In the meantime, the dedicated student journalists, board members and professional staff at DTH Media Corp. are working hard to innovate and improve the news organization that is our core mission: The Daily Tar Heel. In today’s quickly changing media marketplace, that work is taking all our time.

We will continue to send a monthly digital Southern Neighbor newsletter to our subscribers, with news of Orange and Chatham counties. And you can get daily news from our community by picking up a print Daily Tar Heel or subscribing to DTH at a Glance. If you find you miss Southern Neighbor’s calendar, check out our newest digital service, Offline Chapel Hill Powered by The Daily Tar Heel. You can invest in the future of student journalism and of the free press by visiting startthepresses.org.

Please send me your questions and concerns.

Sincerely,

Erica Perel
General Manager
DTH Media Corp
generalmanager@dailytarheel.com