MORE INFO: Justin Huyck, Director of Communications, (330) 744-8451, ext 320
YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO — The Diocese of Youngstown is pleased to announce a new print product, The Catholic Echo magazine, debuting in Spring 2023. Building on the 77-year legacy of The Catholic Exponent newspaper, which will produce its final issue in February 2023, the Catholic Echo magazine, website and supporting multimedia products will highlight all aspects of Catholic life across the six counties of the diocese—and a new circulation model will ensure that all registered parishioners in the diocese receive the publication with no subscription cost.
“Like diocesan publications throughout the country, and indeed, like all newspapers, The Catholic Exponent has been affected by changes in how media is consumed,” writes the Most Reverend David J. Bonnar, Bishop of Youngstown, in the November 11 issue of The Catholic Exponent. “Our current circulation sits at under 19,000 households, which is about one third of the number of households in our diocese … More widely, the [diocese] has been engaged in a process of balancing the need to be more digital, while also supporting ‘legacy’ platforms of print, broadcast television and radio in a way that is sustainable. We need to continue to reach those who depend on our current communication services, but we need to extend our reach beyond a ‘chosen few.’”
The Catholic Echo will fill this need for the diocese and its parishioners. The Catholic Echo website will launch in early 2023, featuring timely news, video programs and televised Masses, radio and podcasts, including the popular Wineskins program, stories from the Catholic Echo magazine and more. Those who opt in to The Catholic Echo’s email newsletter will be notified about recent news and trending topics, and The Catholic Echo’s digital offerings will also be available via social media.
The multimedia offerings on the website will build upon the over forty-year legacy of the Catholic Telecommunications Network of Youngstown (CTNY), whose pioneering radio and television programming will continue to be available on local outlets, including its own cable channel available on Armstrong and an anticipated return to Spectrum in the Youngstown-Warren area. In July, CTNY joined the team of the diocesan Communications Department, with operations moving to the diocese’s new in-house social media studio.
The Catholic Echo website will allow for continuous coverage through the period of time that the diocese is without a print product, between the conclusion of The Catholic Exponent in February and the launch of the Catholic Echo magazine in Spring 2023.
The Catholic Echo magazine will publish 10 times per year. With a focus on modern design and exceptional photography, the magazine will be feature-driven, providing coverage across all six counties of the diocese, and it will also include information about diocesan and parish events, fun facts and highlights from diocesan history, resources for Catholics seeking to grow in their faith and more.
“The Catholic Echo magazine will be a tool of information—making our Catholic community aware of major initiatives and activities—but its renewed focus will be on formation and evangelization. Simply put, it is not enough for Catholics to know about activities if they are not inspired and given a solid foundation about Catholic life and their place in it,” says Bishop Bonnar.
The Catholic Echo magazine will be mailed directly to parishioners’ homes at no subscription cost to the parishioner. The diocese’s Communications Department, under the leadership of Justin Huyck, Director of Communications, and Katie Wagner, Associate Director of Communications, has conducted extensive research in creating the business plan for The Catholic Echo, with revenue streams including: a new approach to advertising and development, an internal diocesan seed grant and an assessment to parishes to offset printing and mailing costs, which will be in line with the ways the parishes have supported The Exponent in the past. The Catholic Echo will also provide a paid subscription plan for those not affiliated with a parish. Current subscribers to The Catholic Exponent who are not registered parishioners will have their subscriptions fulfilled through the Catholic Echo until their subscription expires.
Bishop Bonnar comments, “With The Catholic Echo, we now look forward to extending our reach in a smart and effective way, so that the echo of our Catholic faith can reverberate to the farthest corners of our diocese and deep into the hearts of all our people.” Bishop Bonnar’s entire message can be found here.
