Today is our birthday. Cape Cod Wave Magazine is 9 years old.
If you have been with us since the beginning, you know that we are just a couple of knuckleheads that actually believe in the idealistic cause of local journalism. This means to most of America, apparently, that we just fell off a turnip truck. But we’re pretty sure it was an Eastham turnip truck, so we are fine with the metaphor.
Telling true stories about our local community, we believe, matters.
But over the past ten years hedge funds have gobbled up local newspapers all across the country, fired the reporters, sold the real estate for a quick profit and run the businesses into the ground. Cape Cod is no exception. There are only three local newspaper companies left, where 20 years ago there were locally-owned papers in every town.
The old advertising model does not work so well anymore because billion dollar internet companies have taken over the ad market. Neither does the model of selling local news. People are used to reading news online for free.
So what is the business model for delivering local journalism? We have no idea. Cape Cod Wave has been a labor of love for nine years. We have long contemplated a paywall. So far, we have chosen not to have one.
But we are asking for your support.
There is a donation button at the top of the page. To those who have donated, thank you! We truly appreciate it. We currently have the donation amount set at only $5. We do not think it is a lot to ask for the type of journalism we do. We hope you agree that local journalism is important.
If you would like to send more than $5, you can send a check to Cape Cod Wave, PO Box 29, Falmouth, MA 02541.
Although neither one of us – Laura or Brian – are native Cape Codders, we love this peninsula deeply. We have each been here for decades. We have set down roots. We may be washashores, but what a shore to land upon. This is our home.
The journey of nine years of this magazine has been interesting. Among the things we did not exactly expect when we began were shark attacks, the enduring crisis of the lack of affordable housing, and the sudden appearance of a pandemic.
The pandemic changed everything, and yet everything has been changing all along.
It has been a dramatic nine years – a weird time to be in journalism. Even the residue of nightmarish national politics showed up here from time to time. While each year the world over the bridges gets more and more complicated, our world on Cape Cod gets more complicated too – often in different ways than the rest of the country.
While Cape Cod Wave Magazine doesn’t often cover breaking news, we do in fact write true stories.
We visit and photograph beautiful, natural places. In the years prior to the pandemic, we shot videos of local bands playing original music in all 15 Cape towns. We have a rich archive of more than 100 live music videos of Cape bands. We have done our best to support and promote local musicians.
Cape Cod Wave Magazine covers the character and culture of Cape Cod.
On May 16, 2013 in our first story, about a sunrise at Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, we launched this publication with the words, “Morning in America starts here.”
Nine years later, it is still morning in America on the best place on Earth. Thank you for coming along for the ride.
– Laura & Brian
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