Welcome to the wonderful new world of the all-digital Track & Field News.
Yes, it’s true that after 846 (!) issues, running from February 1948 to December 2017 our ink & paper product sadly vanished from the landscape, but that didn’t immediately usher in a truly modern product.
In the first sequence of our 2-part changeover, for the months of January, February and March we published versions that duplicated the paper setup, except that we didn’t print them: we released them as PDFs.
Now, as we careen towards the end of April, we’re proud to unveil for you the truly digital version. Whether you’re currently a subscriber or not we urge you to wander about the site to see just where we’re now at.
Longer stories with deeper results, more videos and best of all, vastly improved timeliness. No longer do we have to wait until the end of a month to publish anything, leaving you to read material that’s 4-5 weeks old.
But we know that some of you remain quite happy with a monthly product, so there’s something for you too.
At the end of each “month” (the time period will vary) we’ll have a collated version of most of what was posted during that time and add in some of your favorite departments, like On Your Marks, Track Shorts, Status Quo and Last Lap.
For an example of how that’s going to work, simply click on the March cover and it’ll take you to last month’s edition, presented as a searchable collection of material.
Mobile Friendly
There’s more good news: the upgraded site has been reconfigured so that it’s mobile-friendly. For those of you who prefer to do your browsing on a phone or tablet, no more wonky presentations.
We could promise you the moon here, but instead we hasten to caution you that as with all online ventures, this initial launch should be considered a beta version.
Undoubtedly some things won’t work properly and some things you’ll probably find are missing. But we’ll be devoting all our energies to making sure that everything is running flawlessly as soon as possible.
This new all-in-one site contains both the ongoing magazine content and our traditional website, which has been informing and entertaining for free for more than 20 years now.
Looking down the road, much of what was on the original website part of the site will remain available at no cost.
Free… For A While
The magazine part will—but just as part of our rollout—be free until the end of the month.
Starting with May, however, the bulk of the magazine segment will be hidden behind a paywall, for subscribers only.
Once the paywall comes up, non-subscribers—just so they can get a feel for what we’re all about—will be able to view a limited number of articles per month.
We’ve had a lot of fun creating this new product; we hope that you find that it enhances your appreciation of the greatest sport on earth.
Your feedback will always be most welcome.◻︎