Everyone I know is saying it: it’s time for all of us to reinvent ourselves.
With the April editions of Westside Today magazines, we’ve heeded that call and our magazines have officially undergone a reinvention of their own.
Just as Westwood has the “W†Hotel, and Orange County is referred to as “The OC,†our staff often uses “WT†as shorthand for “Westside Today.†If Oprah Winfrey can put out a magazine called “O,†we believe we can be equally bold and refer to ourselves as “WT.â€
Starting with the current issue, we have introduced WT on our covers, complete with your community name.
The cover story is relevant to your hometown – and yet the new emphasis on WT recognizes we are all part of something bigger: the Westside.
WT may cause some to scratch their heads at first. But we believe in a few months all of our readers will embrace our new direction – and come to see it as stylish and memorable.
Younger folks in particular, we’ve discovered, like WT. Many of our advertisers like the idea of our becoming more inclusive – changing with the times to cater to everyone — young, old and in between.
Since we are in reinvention mode and don’t want to become dinosaurs, I ask that the more traditional types among us (I know I’m one) embrace our new look — while continuing to support our 18-year-old mission: to serve our local communities with great news and feature stories that happen in your backyard.
As you flip through the pages of WT, you’ll notice how we’ve changed and updated our look, courtesy of Shannon Dunn and Lynn Pelkey, WT’s Associate Publisher and Creative Director, respectively.
Jackie Raymond, editor of our Brentwood News insert, revels in every little thing that moves in Brentwood. If you live in Brentwood, be sure to check out our new Brentwood News section in the center of this magazine.
If you want to help us produce similar local sections in Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Westwood, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades or Malibu, we’d like to hear from you. We need people in those neighborhoods to be the “voice†of those communities.
Meanwhile, WT Technology Editor Karl “Westside Gadget Guy†Susman is adding vibrancy and more user-friendly capabilities to our website WestsideToday.com. As the world goes more interactive, we want to make easier for you to get your information published in our magazine or posted on our website. Our magazine might be monthly, but we update Westsidetoday.com daily.
After you read your WT magazine, let me know what you think. Got any other ideas to make us more to your liking? Want to champion the cause of local coverage in your town? Got a personal story of reinvention you’d like to share? Let me know by sending an email to jeffhall@westsidetoday.com.
