It’s no secret that the College Heights Herald has undergone significant changes in the past two years.

The publication surprised its peers by switching to a monthly print edition for the fall of 2021, producing eight editions throughout the 2021-22 academic year and allowing us to put more focus on our daily email newsletter and live stories on WKUHerald.com.

Despite producing fewer print issues, the content inside these editions remained as high-quality as ever, and in most cases the new publishing cycle allowed us to pursue longer, more in-depth pieces.

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As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The Herald still earned a national Pacemaker Award, the top honor for student-run media and its 19th since 1981. Reporters and editors were still given the chance to learn the ins and outs of the production process and the paper remained at the forefront for students’ voices.

Additionally, the switch to monthly editions provided ample time for staff to adjust to the ever-evolving digital future of journalism by maintaining daily digital output for the Herald’s newsletter.

That being said, the switch to monthly editions was not without issue.

More than once, printing delays prevented the Herald from arriving on campus on time. Additionally, the physical material on which the Herald was printed – called newsprint – put limitations on how photos can be toned and showcased, effectively sticking photography and design staff in a box.

Because of this, the Herald is shaking things up once more. Starting this fall, the Herald will be packaged as a sleek, bright and eye-catching newsmagazine and distributed three times per semester.

Don’t worry – the Herald will stay in its lane, remaining a news source first and foremost without infringing on the identities of our Student Publications siblings, Talisman magazine and Cherry Creative branded content studio. The new format will provide designers and photographers unique creative freedoms that will take the publication to heights not possible with standard newsprint.

The Herald staff welcomes this new format with enthusiasm. Reporters, editors and photographers were swayed as soon as they opened up a mock example, many of them drawing immediate inspiration from the stylish format.

Speaking of the Herald staff, for the first time since spring 2000, the publication will be helmed by a pair of coeditors-in-chief. Debra Murray and Jake Moore, your current content editors, are excited to step into the position and tackle whatever it throws our way.

The pair of us have spent the spring semester working in tandem to provide the WKU community with exciting news content and we can’t wait to continue in the fall.

All of this is to say, we’re ready for this change.

Content Editor Debra Murray can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @debramurrayy.

Content Editor Jake Moore can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Charles_JMoore.