The first sign that last week was not off to a good start came early Feb. 3 when tech support alerted us that multiple systems were down.
Those systems include the way ads are placed on pages, how pages are planned and designed and even how we communicate with customers.
As our staff in Roanoke and elsewhere across the company adapted to find work-arounds to produce the printed newspapers and e-editions, we continued to cover news and sports and post articles on roanoke.com. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I posted compilations of our local news and sports coverage of the day.
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But for a time early in the week, our ability to publish a newspaper was halted. By the time the work-arounds started to function, we were running a couple of days behind in print, finally delivering the Tuesday and Wednesday editions of The Roanoke Times on Thursday. The weekend newspapers were delivered on their publication dates. On Friday morning, that day's paper was delivered and by Friday afternoon our copy editors were proofing a flurry of pages for the Tuesday and Thursday editions of Danville Register & Bee and the Martinsville Bulletin, the production of which our newsroom oversees.
On Friday evening, Kevin Mowbray, CEO of parent company Lee Enterprises, confirmed what many of us guessed, that the company had been the victim of a "cybersecurity event" that is now under investigation. Details are not being disclosed by the company while that proceeds.
In the meantime, a word of appreciation for many of you who have called or sent an email checking in on your missing papers, or regular features that you miss. On Sunday, for instance, we were unable to print the usual Sunday Business and Extra stand-alone sections (they will return). Also, some elements of the regular paper are showing up in unfamiliar spots for the time being. Thank you for your patience and understanding. We are unsure how long this situation will persist, but we are making progress.
Also, a word of thanks to our journalists and advertising and circulation staffs who have labored long hours over the past week under trying circumstances. Two nights in a row we didn't finish the Roanoke newspaper until long after midnight, some two hours later than usual.
It reminded me of working on a college newspaper back in the day, except that back in the day I was in my early 20s and didn't need to sleep!
Brian Kelley (540) 981-3377
brian.kelley@roanoke.com
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