Learning together

Admittedly, I’m a slow learner. I have owned CITYVIEW for more than two decades now, and it has taken me a while to truly understand what readers want. 

Of course, some people think we should pound you over the head about who you should or shouldn’t vote for, tell you whether you should or shouldn’t own guns, and editorialize when life begins or doesn’t begin. Some editors and publishers of other publications feel it is their civic duty to shove these opinions down your throat. In the early years, you read some of that in this publication, too. 

Times have changed, and you don’t have to look far today to become flooded with opinions. And, most people now flock to cable TV stations, websites or social media groups that spew the same opinions they currently have. They don’t want to change or even be challenged. Right or wrong, that’s the way it is. 

In recent years, we have focused more of our efforts at CITYVIEW on entertaining our readers rather than irritating them. The word VIEW is still part of our name, and we don’t hesitate to offer ideas for you to consider on restaurants to try, movies to watch, concerts to attend, performances to see and books to read. We also have focused more on the personality stories of the many great residents in our coverage area. We will leave the hatred for others to spread. 

I am pleased to say that this approach has worked. Rather than alienating readers, we are inviting a growing number to pick up CITYVIEW and learn about all the things our great city has to offer. Today, we have more readers than ever in the history of the publication, as more than 100,000 people turn to the pages of CITYVIEW every issue in our print and digital editions. 

This month’s cover story brings back one of our most popular subjects, as we compiled a lengthy list of things to do in central Iowa for our Winter Arts & Entertainment Guide. Be sure to check it out, along with all our coverage of food, drinks, music, film, theatre, books and, yes, even a dash of politics. 

We keep learning… together. 

Thanks for reading. ♦

Shane Goodman 
Editor and Publisher
CITYVIEW
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.dmcityview.com