Maui Times Re-Launch Preview Edition 2021

PREVIEW EDITION

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Re-Launching

mauitimes Sep tember 9, 2021 = First Issue

78,000 Circulation +

Mailed to Every Home and Business Countywide NEWS | CULTURE | ‘AINA

PREVIEW EDITION 2021

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PREVIEW EDITION 2021

News & Views NEWS AND EVENTS

SAME MAUI, NEW ‘TIMES’ Maui's newsweekly reinvents itself

published its first issue in 1900.

The staff is doubling in size, with new offices on Main Street in up-

Photo Credit :: Viola Gaskell

‘Infuriating’ Interruption’

Tommy & Sam at New Offices in Uptown Wailuku

Do you miss MauiTime?

If you’re local, or a frequent visitor, the answer is surely “yes.”

For nearly a quarter-century, MauiTime served as the Valley Isle’s scrappy, fiercely independent source for entertainment, irreverent takes, and underreported news.

Now, after a pandemic-induced hiatus, the publication is roaring back with a new name and an expanded mission—built upon the foundation of Hawaii’s last surviving alt newsweekly.

Tommy and Jen Russo—and their dedicated staff —were left with virtually no income after the pandemic decimated the local (and global) economy.

“When COVID hit, we posted more than 70 stories in the first month,” said Tommy. “But as our advertisers began shuttering their businesses, they understandably pulled their ads. Soon, we had almost no revenue coming in.”

MauiTime wasn’t alone. Publications both on- and off-island were impacted by the pandemic. Hundreds of newspapers closed permanently nationwide, leaving a void in innumerable communities.

The island’s daily, the Maui News, initiated a series of significant pandemic-related cuts that included re-

ducing print days and selling their main office building in Wailuku.

In August 2019, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser—a consolidated amalgamation of Oahu’s two dailies—launched an “eight-page

“Nearly 80,000 editions of MauiTimes will hit the streets and local mailboxes on September 9, making it Hawaii’s largest-circulation news publication.“ section filled with Maui-related news,”. COVID shuttered this short-lived experiment.

Both the Maui News and the Star-Advertiser are owned by hulking, deep-pocketed Mainland conglomerates—Wheeling, West Virginia-based Ogden Newspapers and Canadian-owned Black Press, respectively.

Since its inception in 1995, MauiTime has been locally owned and focused. The paper cast itself, unapologetically, as an antidote to the Maui News, an entrenched institution that employed many talented, hard-working reporters and

“When we paused publishing, it was infuriating,” said Russo, 48.

“There were critical stories, especially about the pandemic, that needed to be told. And now there was no way to get the truth out.”

Two weeks after MauiTime stopped publishing, Tommy’s pal John “Sam” Weiss visited Maui from the Big Island, where he was working remotely during the pandemic.

Tommy and Sam became allies and friends when they each founded their own newsweeklies—Sam in 1993, Tommy in ’97.

Weiss, 65, is a seasoned sailor in the choppy media seas. A decorated publisher with a deep journalism background and dual master’s degrees in documentary filmmaking and public policy, he serves on numerous non-profit boards and is a serial entrepreneur, having launched a dozen non-profits & for-profits.

His Colorado Springs company, 6035 Media, publishes eight newspapers, with more than 50-full and 40-partime employees. He’s also built a civic arm, IndyGive!, that last year helped more than 80 small non-profits raise $1.6 million from 9,000 readers.(www.indygive.com) Weiss agreed to team up with Tommy to re-launch the publication once the economy rebounded from the Pandemic. Their goal was to build a 21st-century community-centric news organization that would not merely survive, but thrive in these challenging financial times.

In late 2020, Weiss relocated to Wailuku to help lead the relaunch.

“It’s thrilling and important work to be able to help rebirth this essential news organization,” said Weiss, who will serve as the paper’s publisher and interim executive editor.

Nearly 80,000 editions of MauiTimes will hit the streets and local mailboxes on September 9, making it Hawaii’s largest-circulation news publication.

"an independent and fair newsroom dedicated to letting people know not only the who, the what and the where, but most importantly the why.” town Wailuku.

“In addition to being the only news magazine delivered to all homes, apartments, condos, post boxes and private residences we will also mail MauiTimes to all businesses countywide,” said Russo.

As before, MauiTimes can also be picked up for free at hundreds of high foot-traffic locations, especially those frequented by visitors such as hotels, resorts, rental car companies, restaurants and coffee shops.

An Expanded Mission “We added an ‘s’ to signify that we’ll offer everything we’ve always offered, plus a lot more,” said Russo “In addition to investigative reporting and the most comprehensive arts, culture and calendar coverage around, we’ll significantly expand our business, education, sports and community coverage.”

The battle for clicks, eyeballs, and dollars isn’t unique to Hawaii.

Newspapers and TV and radio stations have been bleeding profits and lopping off employees worldwide for years. These problems are amplified on a chain of islands isolated in the middle of the Pacific.

Hawaii is chock-full of fertile news soil. Stories are everywhere, waiting to be told. Who will tell them?

Readers will devour our content, and advertisers will want their messages in front of our devoted readers.”

(Continued on Page 6)

PREVIEW EDITION 2021

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JOIN OUR TEAM With strong people, a love of place, and respect for ‘aina, MauiTimes is Hawaii’s largest locally-owned newspaper and digital content company.

We seek to fill the following positions with team-

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mates dedicated to creating great journalism and have a great time doing it.

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Should you apply? Are you fluent with Adobe Suite? Are you inspired to create effective and beautiful ads? Are you good at communicating, both in writing and speaking? Do you believe in the importance of locally controlled, community journalism?

If so, send cover letter, resume, and link to portfolio to: jeremy@mauitimes.org

Sales Executives (Print and Digital)

Prefer Being Outside? STARDUST OpenAir Theater 5 Nights to Enjoy 10 Maui Premieres & Festivities!

Should you apply? Do you like helping local businesses thrive? Not afraid of rejection? Competitive and motivated by money? Organized and a hard worker? Understand SEO and PPC? Believe in the importance of local journalism? Want to work for a non-profit with a collaborative work environment?

If so, send cover letter and resume: sam@mauitimes.org Want to write for MauiTimes?

We seek paid freelancers to cover: • High school sports • Surfing, fishing and other water sports • Theater and dance previews & reviews

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DETAILS, SCHEDULES & PASS PRICES COMING SOON! Sponsors: Maui County, Maui Film Office, Hawai'i Film Office, MANA Foods

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PREVIEW EDITION 2021

• Agricultural, environmental & sustainability issues • We’re open to your ideas, share them with us!

Send clip and cover letter to jacob@mauitimes.org

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“Maui is bursting Before joining with stories that need MauiTimes, Truesto be told, and we dale served as a want to tell them,” freelance corresponsaid Jacob Shafer, who dent, covering Maui is relocating with his for Honolulu Civil family back to Maui Beat and has taught to serve as our Manhigh school Russian. aging Editor.

Truesdale wrote for After his stint as the the student daily MauiTime Editor from at Brown University 2008 through 2011, and his work h a s Managing Editor :: Jacob Shafer Shafer, 39, worked for been featured on the Pacific Sun, San NBC Nightly News.

Francisco ExaminJ. Sam Weiss will er, and as a national also serve as Execsports columnist for utive Editor until a Turner Media and CNN. permanent hire is “Maui is such a made. He earned unique, multifaceted dual master’s deplace,” Shafer said. grees from Columbia “My second son was University School born here. Maui of Journalism and holds a special place Harvard’s Kennedy in my heart.

School of GovernNews Reporter :: Viola Gaskell MauiTimes welcomes ment. He has run two talented staff reportseveral national ers, Viola Gaskell and non-profits and Jack Truesdale. worked overseas in Gaskell grew up Finland, Nicaraugua, in Hana, graduated Russia, and South from Seabury Hall, Africa. His work has then went on to rebeen featured in The port overseas.

New York Times, Papers and digital The Atlantic, and sites in the US, Australia, Mother Jones. and Europe featured “Our goal i s t o her coverage of the i nfor m , enlighten News Reporter :: Jack Truesdale landmark Hong Kong and shape dyprotests. She has writnamic, factten for Al Jazeera, based con“To inform, The Independent, ver sat i ons enlighten and shape around the VICE and for more niche publicadynamic conversations” political, envitions on s u b ronmental and j e c t s from Japan's bread fancultural issues that matter most,” dom to air p ol l u t i o n . said Weiss.

Gaskell said she “plans to write “Jacob and his team will manabout and photograph the issues age our newsroom’s day-to-day most important to Maui residents, operations. My role as Execufrom housing and economic divertive Editor is to ensure that our sification to water rights, as well reporting includes all pertinent as the eccentric Maui-isms that viewpoints with accuracy and inmake the island what it is.” vestigative rigor.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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SAME MAUI, NEW 'TIMES' Contined from page 3

“When MauiTime launched back in 1997, I was a headstrong 23-year-old,” Tommy said. “But the island has changed me—for

" Readers will devour our content, and advertisers will want their messages in front of

and fair newsroom dedicated to letting people know not only the who, the what and the where, but most importantly the why.” added Weiss.

In addition to its expanded print edition, MauiTimes’ daily digital offerings at mauitimes.org will keep readers up to date on the late-breaking news and cultural happenings impacting Maui.

our devoted readers."

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the better. I married a Lahaina girl, we have an amazing daughter, and we’ve forged deep connections with wonderful friends from different cultures.

“With the relaunch of MauiTimes, we’ve been given an opportunity to build upon Tommy’s legacy to give Maui an independent

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

YOUR MAUI TIME, FROM HIP TO HIGHBROW Comprehensively covering the island’s culture, food, music, movies, and much more music and theater venues, and What's going on this weekend? hundreds of others to create the Or next Wednesday? Or right now? most comprehensive calendar Where should we eat? What on-island,” Kekahuna said. “And to watch? Where to take in live with our new listing software, music, luaus, poetry, theater, we will post daily dance? How to audition for local “Our mission is curated lists of evproductions? to share Ho'okipa.” erything goi ng on county-wide.

What non-profits Maui Film Critics Soneed volunteers? ciety founder and longSince its inceptime MauiTime film tion, MauiTime reviewer Barry Wurst II provided the deis returning as your gofinitive answer to to cinematic source. those questions.

For more than two Now, the new decades, Jen Russo MauiTimes is has worked at Mautaki n g t h i n g s iTime in almost evt o t h e next levery capacity. We are el—i n p ri n t on excited that she will September 9, and be our r ovi ng food soon t h ereaf t er and cultural correwith daily digital A & E Editor :: Grace Maeda spondent. She will offerings giving also serve on the you the up-to-theboard of the new minute lowdown non-profit that govon what’s happenerns MauiTimes. ing from Moloka‘i “To cover the to Makawao. breadth and depth of Grace Maeda, Maui's varied arts and leads our arts and cultural communities, culture team. The we will support our King Kekaulike core staff with a team grad u at e i s exof freelancers and cited to be home critics to help us proafter f o u r years vide readers with the studying journalCalander Editor :: Shan Kekahuna most comprehensive ism at Marist in insights into how to New York, where invest their most preshe served as cious resource—their the managing time,” said Maeda. editor at her colIn addition to these lege newspaper. voices, MauiTimes is Shan Kekahuna, a hiring (see page 4) an local girl is returnarray of freelance coning as Calendar tributors to ensure our Editor, where she arts and culture coverwill curate our listage truly reflects the ings and music grid. diversity of opportu“I l ove worknities on Maui, Lana‘i, ing with arts and Roving Correspondent :: Jen Russo and Moloka‘i. culture groups,

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