Welcome to The Kerr County Lead.
For most of the last year, The Lead has been working to cover Kerr County, but today marks the first step in a broader commitment toward covering our community. Thanks to Facebook Bulletin, we will be well-positioned to provide in-depth reporting on critical issues around growth and development, the environment and water.
In mid-May, Facebook approached us with an offer to take The Lead on a new path that should secure our ability to provide quality journalism to the Texas Hill Country.
At the end of 2020, I believed there was a better way to serve Kerrville and Kerr County, and the first iteration of The Lead was born. As Kerr County continues to grow and thrive in the years to come, the need for journalism not shaped by bottom-line focused media chains is more important than ever. The Lead endeavors to be nimble, serve an audience across multiple media platforms and engage with our audience on the world's largest social media service.
Since 2005, I've worked in a wide range of online media positions, and during that time, I've longed for an opportunity to be independent. Now it's come and from a surprising source — Facebook. The new Bulletin website connects some of the world's best writers, thinkers and journalists, but more importantly, it provides an opportunity for entrepreneurial journalism to flourish.
Over the last year, the coronavirus pandemic has reinforced my belief that communities must have access to high-quality journalism — no matter the size. I've worked in much larger markets than Kerr County, but there's something about this place and community that has rooted me like no other. To produce this type of content takes resources and commitment. That is something very few companies are willing to make. Instead of focusing on content, many media companies let ancient business practices drive operations and year-over-year revenue projections — no matter how unrealistic — are the norm.
With the solutions present in Bulletin, we can commit to our readers and viewers the best possible content — honed over a 30-year career.
The Lead is just one of a handful to launch on Bulletin, and there are plenty of exciting writers already publishing here, including Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant and Trey Wingo. If you haven't heard of them, we recommend you check out their offerings.
The unique element of Bulletin is that it lives within Facebook and out of it. You don't have to belong to Facebook to read our content. It also provides our subscribers access to content through email, social media and our Bulletin-powered website
In the coming days and weeks, The Lead readers can expect a monthly e-edition magazine, daily updates to your email, video, and, of course, our live webcast The Lead Live — 9 a.m. Monday-Friday from Kerrville's Pint and Plow. We plan to build our audience, but quality content, context, and analysis are our most important focus.
We also invite you to subscribe to The Lead. For $5.99 per month, subscribers get exclusive access to content, groups and events. We've got more planned in the weeks and months to come. We hope you join us.
— Louis Amestoy, editor and publisher
