The New Two-Lane
Miss the old Two-Lane Livin' Magazine? We're rebooting it.
For ten years, Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine had the highest readership rate of any (print) publication in West Virginia. Featuring columns and articles from West Virginians across the state, the down-home magazine was a hit from the very first issue. Free to readers in 18 counties of the state, we simply could never print enough copies.
The magazine grew beyond our capacity to deliver and fund it. Print costs were rising, monthly delivery time grew to more than a week, and competition for advertising dollars was fierce. Our blessing became a burden, and in 2017, we discontinued print.
Our final issue, December 2017, was run at 20,000 copies - gone in three days after delivery.
Five years later, we still get phone calls from readers searching for copies.
The global pandemic created an environment simplifying the production of online magazines. Following some pandemic soul-searching, I realized how much I missed writing for the Two-Lane audience. Other columnists felt the same way.
I started a small newsletter, but within a month, realized how easy it would be to revive Two-Lane Livin’ online. We still own the trademark, still own the domain name, so The Two-Lane Renaissance was born, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of the popular print issue.
We’ll be presenting some of the great content you were accustomed to in the print issue, and venturing out into other topics and mediums, including podcasts and videos.
Our business model is different this time as well. You won’t see a bunch of advertising on our site. We will have feature “advertorials” for products and local businesses we love, but we learned from our print edition that you can’t rely on those local advertising dollars. Our paid subscriptions, affiliate links and promotional content should be enough to sustain us. (You are also welcome to make donations of support.) You will hit a “paywall” for certain content if you aren’t a paid subscriber. But much of the online content will be free.
I believe our local community, our country even, is on the verge of a new renaissance. I have hope and faith for our future. I hope our “new” magazine helps you feel the same.
So, welcome to The Two-Lane Renaissance! Please feel free to send your friends to twolanelivin.com to watch us grow again.
Lisa - Editor and Publisher