LIHUE, Hawaii – The Garden Island newspaper announced today that it will bring back its Saturday edition beginning July 12. Editor-in-Chief Bill Buley said he and his staff are “thrilled to again be putting out a print edition every day.” The Garden Island’s former owners discontinued the Saturday edition in May 2012 in an effort to save money.
“Since I came on board a little over a year ago, one constant I’ve heard from residents is that they miss having a Saturday paper,” Buley said. “We’re listening. And we’re glad to now be able to provide Kauai with a newspaper seven days a week – a true daily paper – and we’re looking forward to giving the community even better coverage of events, people and places. With our return to Saturdays, we’ll be able to provide timely reporting of Friday sports and breaking news, while also featuring more of what makes Kauai so special. We’ll keep doing our best to be the place where people can learn what’s happening on our island.”
“At a time when many newspapers are cutting back on print, The Garden Island might just be the only paper in the United States increasing its frequency of publication,” said Dennis Francis, president of Oahu Publications (OPI), the owner of The Garden Island. “We’re really pleased to be doing this. The addition of a Saturday paper is another sign of our commitment to the Kauai community.”
Since Oahu Publications purchased The Garden Island in early 2013, Buley and his staff have made a number of improvements, which have included leveraging OPI’s state-of-the-art production technology and more accessible digital options, as well as implementing the business model that has been successfully employed with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The Garden Island subscribers also now have access to Honolulu Star-Advertiser online premium content, including print replicas, and free access to the Washington Post online edition. On July 6, Parade magazine will become the new Sunday insert magazine in The Garden Island, as it will in the Star-Advertiser. The improvements to The Garden Island have allowed the Kauai newspaper to maintain market penetration and readership. In addition to the Saturday edition, the paper will soon sport a new logo and design on Saturday, July 12.
The Garden Island, first published in 1902, is Kauai’s only daily newspaper. It will now publish seven days a week and is known for editorial excellence in delivering local, state, national and world news. Eighty-seven percent of Kauai adults read The Garden Island, which is owned by Oahu Publications, Inc., whose portfolio also includes the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, MidWeek, MidWeek Kauai, the Hawaii Army Weekly, Hawaii Marine, Ho‘okele, HILuxury, and a growing roster of community periodicals and in-room resort magazines.