The name may have changed, but our goal remains the same.

“Our mission is to inform and entertain our readers, preserve the history of our local community, and service the needs of local businesses and individuals with diverse media solutions.”

With a strong lineage that can trace its history back to the Mauch Chunk Daily Times well over a century ago, the Times News continues to adapt and has rebranded itself.

As of today, the business will be recognized as the Times News Media Group, Jen Benninger, advertising director, announced.

“I am so excited that we are finally able to announce ourselves as the Times News Media Group,” Benninger said. “We have been working on this project for almost a year, and while this announcement is about a name change, it has been a message that our sales department has been giving to our advertisers for the past couple of years.”

Marta Gouger, Times News editor, said the media group involves many components, but the newspaper will continue to give readers the best local coverage it can.

“I always tell people that inch for inch, we supply more local news and photos than anyone in the region.”

However, with the rebranding, all of the products we offer will be featured under the Times News Media Group.

“We’re excited about the rebranding of the Times News. We hope to make our customers and readers aware of the variation/mix of products we offer to help inform our readers and build our advertiser’s business,” said Scott Masenheimer, vice-president of operations.

In addition to the print product, offerings include tnonline.com, The Kids Closet Sale, Lehigh Valley Press, lvpnews.com, Times News Travels, tnSportsChat, Newspapers in Education and TN Printing. The company utilizes Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to get information to our readers.

There are many opportunities for advertisers to get the word out to their target audience.

The perception

Jennifer Rowden, marketing director, said that in October 2018, the Times News conducted a survey for its readers asking them what they liked about the paper and what they’d like to see changed.

“The majority of our subscribers and online readers said they liked the coverage, but said that they want the news delivery to be convenient for them. They need to read the news the way they live their lives, on-the-go, in different places and different events,” Rowden said.

“As we read the survey responses, it became apparent that readers were not aware of all we had to offer, she said. “We wanted the people to know we are part of the community, and we want to meet the needs of the readers.”

Rowden said the younger readers want news that is more interactive, offering a back-and-forth exchange.

“We are trying to find ways to make us as interactive as possible,” Rowden said. Social media and events will play a bigger role.

Rowden said the newspaper has seen many changes with its department heads within the past two years, as Janie Yacubeck took over as circulation manager in the spring of 2017; Rowden became marketing director in the fall of 2017; Benninger took over as advertising director in the spring 2018; and Abelina Barra was promoted to digital media marketing in the fall of 2019.

Evolving with the times

“We’re trying to show the perception that the paper is just the beginning,” Benninger added.

To further promote the brand, Benninger said the Times News has made regular appearances on Colossal Radio in Lehighton “to put a face to names at the Times News.”

“It’s to show our readers we’re your neighbors, we’re your friends,” she said. “We want to be more community-oriented, and that we’re providing a service to them.”

The purpose, Benninger said, is to “reach a different audience to more inform and educate people what we’re up to.”

Benninger said this is just the start geared toward that vision.

“You’ll see more events, more contests,” she said.

In the community

Benninger said the newspaper has been a proud member of the community for a long time, and intends to remain that way.

“It’s our job to continue to show that we are strong, and developing new ideas,” she said. “We’re trying to build a better company just as everyone else does.”

Benninger said the newspaper will continue to meet the needs of its community.

“We are dedicated to help businesses and individuals with their marketing messages by using a multitude of ways, including the printed newspaper,” she said. “We are in this for the long haul, and will continue to evolve with the trends of our industry to benefit our readers, advertisers and business partners.”