• by Ray Schultz , May 30, 2019

The Tampa Bay Times is changing its DayStarter email newsletter, altering the frequency, delivery time and tone. And other newsletters may be in the offing.

Formerly sent seven days a week, DayStarter will now go out only on weekdays because the Times determined that it did not offer as much value to readers on weekends and holidays. And it will be sent an hour earlier in the morning. 

The e-letter will also have “a more narrative-driven format, something that sounds like a neighbor sharing the latest news with you, provides context and clarity that a simple list of news stories can’t,” states Joshua Gillin, a senior digital editor who oversees newsletters at the Tampa Bay Times, according to a post by executive editor Mark Katches. 

Gillin adds: “Email newsletters help readers sift through all the information they are provided daily — that’s why they sign up for them. A link dump doesn’t really help with that. We want to provide a channel that tells our audience they can come to us for a thoughtful summary throughout the week."

Formerly run mostly on autopilot, DayStarter will now be produced with input from editors and producers across the newsroom.

“The result will be a well-tended and interesting experience rather than something that looks like a robot built it,” Katches writes. 

DayStarter, the most popular Tampa Bay Times newsletter, has over 70,000 subscribers.