During a recent visit to a local pub, I asked a waitress if the place is still a distribution point for the Reno News & Review. She said yes, but she didn’t know where they were. After a brief search, she discovered our rack in a hallway, next to the men’s room door.
That’s how it’s been in the months following the arrival of COVID-19. Many shops and stores, fearing transmission of the virus, got rid of racks and self-serve counters. While many businesses welcomed our publication back into their buildings last year (thank you!), some venues have had a hard time finding a prominent place for them.
In the nearly 30 years this newspaper has been published, I regularly picked it up at restaurants, markets and coffee shops. Red news boxes were on many street corners, and businesses often had a rack near their entrances.
Not anymore. Even when I’m at a place that’s on our list of more than 700 Northern Nevada distribution points, and even though we’re distributing 25,000 copies each month, I sometimes have to hunt for the RN&R. The racks or stacks of papers are often placed in a back corner or submerged beneath a pile of pamphlets or real estate guides.
If you are reading this, you are among the eagle-eyed folks who found this edition. That’s not always easy, so I’m asking a favor: Please thank business owners for helping us get our news and arts coverage in front of readers. And let friends and family members know where the RN&R can be found.
Our staff works hard to get a fresh print newspaper out every month, and we want as many people as possible to get some of our ink on their fingers. You might have to look a bit harder for us post-pandemic, but you’ll be glad you did.