Letter from the editor: What is Second Wave Michigan?

For some of you, this may be the second Second Wave to hit your inbox this week.

Here's what's going on. On Dec. 3 Issue Media Group launched its newest publication -- Second Wave Michigan.

As a reader of Second Wave Southwest Michigan, you may or may not know that we are owned by Issue Media Group. It publishes online magazines across the country including nine in Michigan. Of those nine Michigan publications, four carry the Second Wave flag. There is Mid-Michigan, Northern Michigan, Southwest Michigan, and Upper Peninsula. 

Now we also have Second Wave Michigan. It is the new home, if you will, for all nine Michigan publications. If you'll go with me on the "home" analogy, each publication still has its own room and if you don't want to know what's happening in the rest of the state you need not ever go across the hall to see them.

Our hope, however, is that you will want to check out our other publications to see the same stories of innovation, diversity, and solution-oriented reporting from across the state that you have come to appreciate in Second Wave Southwest Michigan. Now stories from Ann Arbor, Detroit, Lansing and metro Detroit are just a click away from stories about Traverse City, Saginaw, Marquette. Stories from Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and the rest of Southwest Michigan get broader exposure in the rest of the state.

On the homepage of Second Wave Michigan and that of Southwest Michigan's Second Wave you can navigate to the other publications through the drop down menu in the top left-hand corner of the page labeled Regions.

Second Wave Michigan is edited by Sam Eggleston, who also edits Second Wave Upper Peninsula. (Yes, I do get the occasional tweet meant for him. Any email sent to me that was meant for Eggleston is promptly forwarded.) Read what he has to say about the genesis of the new publication here.

Co-founder of Issue Media Group, Paul Schutt, says the redesign modernizes the publications and strengthens their editorial connection to one another. The new statewide publication, Second Wave Michigan will publish original content and distribute local stories statewide.

"The design overhaul and new site not only refreshes the look but lays the foundation for future iterations and enhancements while ensuring our newsrooms are equipped with updated publishing tools," says Schutt. 

The new design is cleaner and more attractive. It also has faster loading pages and design made to play well with mobile and tablet devices. Navigation is simpler and it gives readers access to content from across the state, while maintaining the hyper-local content we have always presented.

And our beautiful pictures are even bigger.

Now that we have accomplished this big roll out, we will be taking time off to observe the holidays. We will publish again in the new year on Jan. 7.

If you want to consider the redesign a holiday gift, we would be very honored. 

May you enjoy whatever holiday you observe this time of year. 

-- Kathy Jennings, Managing Editor, Second Wave Southwest Michigan


The photo of the iconic candy canes in Bronson Park and the photo on this story are by Susan Andress.