ED’S LETTER
Irecently had to pick up some of my personal belongings at our offices in the Media24 building in Cape Town. These offices have been closed since before lockdown started, way back in March, and I had to follow a rigorous protocol before I could enter the building.
Eventually, accompanied by a security guard, I could go up to the 19th floor. Five months ago, this space had been humming with the creative energy of editorial teams from more than 10 magazines. Now it was postapocalyptic, devoid of life, slightly spooky. But it turned out the only monster lurking in the shadows was the sandwich I’d forgotten in my top drawer!
I had thought that I’d be overwhelmed by the melancholy of it all, but instead – as I collected the products the team had produced during lockdown – I felt nothing but pride and admiration for my colleagues. Five monthly issues of go! and Weg, our annual hiking guide, a photography magazine, a travel journal and a puzzle book, were all produced from home while communicating via e-mail, WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams. This is the way we will work in the future too, as the world becomes our new office.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the economy and print media has not been spared. We had to make new plans to survive, but survive we will. Thank you to everyone for your messages of support following Media24’s announcement about closures and changes to the print media division. The good news is that go! and Weg will continue. However, we will move from being published every month to every second month. The next magazine, a combined October/ November issue, will be on sale from 2 October. By reducing the publishing frequency, it’s possible for our team of writers, photographers and designers to still produce the best travel magazine in the country. We will make sure the longer wait is worth it. Subscribers will have their subscription extended so that they still receive the same number of issues that they signed up for.
We will also continue to produce our popular travel guides like go! Namibia, go! Botswana, go! Kruger and go! Hiking, as well as our puzzle books, which means there will be a go! product on shelf every month.
None of this would be possible without the readers who have supported us since our first issue way back in 2006. It’s a privilege to join you on this next part of the journey!