It’s possible I’ve lost my mind.
A few years ago, I had this idea for a daily newsletter, something that could generate the revenue that was vanishing from print while repurposing a quick-hits morning-headlines blog we were already doing. Problem was, I can be a little obsessive, so this quick-hits thing morphed into news-analysis deep dives, and before I knew it, I found myself spending two or three or four hours every morning poring over the news and hurriedly writing thousands and thousands of words, usually with lots and lots of typos.
Still, except for my sanity, it kind of worked. PRIMER had something like 25,000 subscribers. But the extra 15 or 20 hours a week it took to create it, atop my regular 50- or 60-hour workweeks, proved unsustainable, and the newsletter wasn’t bringing in enough money to justify my misery.
In early 2018, we spiked it—or, technically, put it on hiatus.
But something unexpected happened: People—more than a few—emailed me to ask if they could pay to bring it back. Long story short, those emails were the seed that eventually sprouted the INDY Press Club, the initiative we launched last year to keep independent local journalism sustainable in the Triangle.
The Press Club has been wonderfully successful (more on that soon). And to say thanks, we’re restarting PRIMER on Monday, February 3.
For you old-timers, it’ll look different and (hopefully) be more manageable for me. For the rest of you, think of it as a curated morning tour of everything you need to know about local news, politics, culture, and events—smarter, faster, and more insightful and comprehensive than any other newsletter around, with original reporting and analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
Curious? Go to INDYprimer.com, make sure you’re a subscriber, and wake up with me every morning. (Is that weird? Sorry.)
One last note: PRIMER will only exist as long as it makes sense to create it. If you haven’t already, please visit KeepItINDY.com today and join the INDY Press Club. Your $5 or $10 or $25 a month means the world to us.
And if you want to get your business or event in front of thousands of eyes every morning at (very) affordable rates, we can help. Holler at me.
Contact editor in chief Jeffrey C. Billman at jbillman@indyweek.com.
Support independent local journalism. Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle.
