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A New Look in Town

With this issue, Metro Santa Cruz introduces a new design, a new logo and an enhanced editorial product. Though change can sometimes be jarring, we hope you will grow to like the look and appreciate the value of a clean, well-organized local publication. Our film, music and art listings have been expanded and elevated to major sections of the newspaper. Each week's FilmSantaCruz will feature a review by a Metro Santa Cruz critic, capsule reviews and showtimes for films playing at local movie houses. MusicSantaCruz now begins with a day-by-day calendar of club dates and concerts in Santa Cruz County, along with selected listings from San Jose, the Peninsula and Monterey. ArtsSantaCruz will offer in-depth critical articles about films, music, books and the performing arts. The handsome new format was developed by Metro Santa Cruz's own Foster Barnes, with assists from Conor Mangat, Bob Gower, Marty Stevens, Dan Pulcrano and Michael S. Gant. The new logo was developed from a typeface drawn for Metro Santa Cruz by master type designer David Berlow of the Font Bureau. The changes are more than cosmetic. With added pages to work with, our aim is to provide arts and entertainment coverage that is second to none, with provocative critical voices, excellent writing and accurate, comprehensive information. We are investing in the future to keep up with the community's changing needs during a period in which Santa Cruz is being transformed by population growth, regional economic forces and the rebirth of its downtown. Bay Window will take on a sharper focus as News&Views, providing probing coverage of the events and people shaping the future of Santa Cruz County. The popular Nuz section has been given its own page, and a new column called Heads Up will alert readers to important community meetings and events. As Santa Cruz's political environment becomes more complex, Metro Santa Cruz plans to meet the challenge of asking the questions that need to be asked about the decisions being made and the issues being debated. We hope to talk about things that aren't being talked about but should be. Over the past four years, Metro Santa Cruz has built a loyal readership, won a few awards and become the fastest-growing print advertising vehicle in the county. With a readership of more than 60,000 each week, the newspaper touches the lives of enough residents to make a difference locally. It is unique in another sense as well. Of the major print players in our area, Metro Santa Cruz is the only one with local shareholders and whose parent company is not based on the other side of an ocean or a continent. Why is it vital to have a newspaper written and owned by people whose residences and lives are connected, in a very personal way, to the area's quality of life? The continued boom in Silicon Valley now puts us 30 minutes (give or take a spinout north of the Summit) from the nation's new economic engine. Having recovered from the earthquake, Santa Cruz is now more attractive to developers than ever. New shopping centers and commercial buildings are sprouting up downtown, at the River Street "gateway," in the San Lorenzo Valley and in the mid-county. Some see these developments as signs of healthy economic growth, but others are mobilizing to preserve Santa Cruz's essential character by protecting the places they care about most deeply. Disputes have at times gotten ugly. In coming months, things will heat up further. A full-blown research/housing park is slated for the clifftop field at Terrace Point. Lighthouse Field--the site of the biggest turf battle in local history--could soon be the site of another one, just as the City Council decides whether to allow luxury homes above Highway 1 at Western Drive. And the development plan for the Beach Flats area--maybe the most important land-use decision this community has faced in decades--will prove thorny as well. Metro Santa Cruz is rising to meet the challenges of a community facing crucial decisions about its future. As an indispensable source of news and information about culture and entertainment, this publication will continue to strive for excellence and always keep the community's interests foremost. We invite you to join us in this evolution. Please drop us a note and let us know how we're doing! [ Santa Cruz Week | MetroActive Central | Archives ]