Editor’s note: Tom Bates is the regional president of the Southeast for Advance Local. Kelly Ann Scott is the editor-in-chief and vice president of content for Alabama Media Group.

We announced today that we will no longer publish The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, Press-Register and Mississippi Press beginning in March of next year to focus on becoming an all-digital operation.

But our news coverage will not miss a beat.

Our commitment to local reporting in the state’s three largest cities remains unrivaled. And we are investing in efforts to deepen our local coverage, adding more journalists and creating a new team of city-focused investigative reporters.

In short, journalism in Alabama will continue to thrive.

We have more than 100 journalists who are dedicated to telling stories that change lives, laws and minds across our digital brands right here in Alabama. And we are producing more work and reaching more people than ever before.

But how our readers want their news and information today is changing.

Newsprint is no longer the format of choice for most. We now have an average of 11 million monthly visitors to AL.com and more than 3.4 million followers across social media platforms – where we can tell stories in real time, and in video and podcasts, not just text. We have more than 20 newsletters — with more to come — built for specific readers, including those looking for news about Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile.

Advertisers also have made the shift. Our digital advertising business has grown by 67% since 2017 with a regional client base that extends well beyond Alabama.

Making this transition allows us to invest in innovative work that tackles some of our state’s toughest questions in ways that bring us together.

Last year, we launched The Alabama Education Lab, a five-person team dedicated to reporting that helps Alabama students get the best education possible. ‘They examine policies, identify solutions to problems, and celebrate the work that students, teachers and our communities are doing to move us forward – one student at a time.

We recently added brand-new reporting teams in Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile to report on each city for The Lede, our daily e-edition that combines the most important features from our newspapers with deeper reporting on local issues.

And we have just announced the launch of a local investigative reporting network in Alabama to focus on holding officials accountable to residents and investigating corruption in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile. With these new positions, AL.com will have one of the largest investigative reporting teams in the South.

The impact of our recent work at AL.com has been significant.

In the last five years, our work has freed people from jail – more than once. Our findings this year led to lawsuits and resignations, caused state officials to launch multiple investigations and prompted the DOJ to get involved. Courts have forced police videos to be made public. Polluters have shut down and been fined.

Reporting by AL.com drew action from the governor’s office and spurred change to the unemployment system. Legislators have funded solutions identified in our work. Our reporting has forced leaders to confront their pasts or explain their own policies. We’ve explored troubling criminal cases and examined police shootings

AL.com journalists won Pulitzer Prizes in 2018 and 2021 , and were named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2021. In the last five years, we have won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for podcasting and 21 regional Emmys for documentary work. Our reporters have been finalists for the national Goldsmith Prize and winners in other national and regional journalism contests.

Our journalists also remind us all why we want our state and cities to be the best they can be for everyone: Alabama is our home – a place we love.

We’ve traveled to every corner of the state to meet 800 Alabamians from all walks of life and share their stories through People of Alabama.

More than 600,000 Alabamians have joined us in sharing good news and inspiring stories happening in the state through This is Alabama. Those stories have reached millions of people across the country.

We’ve celebrated touchdowns, student athletes and old-fashioned sports rivalries. Our journalists have taken you on the field for national championships, on the court during March Madness, to a Saturday game in Bryant-Denny for a singalong of “Dixieland Delight” and to Toomer’s Corner for a celebration unlike any other in college athletics.

And we continue to innovate, growing our Alabama roots into national brands.

It’s a Southern Thing connects us all through relatable comedy about being Southerners. That team of writers, videographers and creatives has won a Webby Award for their short-form comedy.

And Reckon is expanding to tell stories about the challenges shaping our time, the people powering change, and what it means for all of us. We are bringing our Southern roots, sensibilities and lens to national issues such as reproductive justice, movements, climate justice and more.

Our early embrace of a digital future and focus on engaging new audiences has made us arguably the most innovative local media company in the country.

And we will continue to invest in the journalism, technologies and people that allow us to meet our mission to strengthen and empower the community.