By Adam Pagnucco.
In the wake of yesterday’s announcement that MoCo360 is rebranding as Bethesda Today, Publisher Jennifer Farkas graciously agreed to answer a few of my questions about the future of her news outlet. Let’s see what she had to say about Bethesda Today – past, present and future.
Jennifer Farkas, photo courtesy of Bethesda Today.
Two years after Bethesda Beat rebranded itself as MoCo360, why is your publication rebranding now to Bethesda Today?
The MoCo360 brand was intended to unify all aspects of our organization under one identity. However, this shift came with unexpected challenges. Post-rebrand, our two well-established and highly regarded products—Bethesda Magazine and Bethesda Beat—began to lose their distinct identities. Feedback from readers, advertisers and community members highlighted a common concern: the rebrand had inadvertently created confusion rather than clarity.
When Today Media bought the company in February 2024, CEO Rob Martinelli suggested that we rethink the branding.
Will there be any staffing or content changes to reflect the rebranding?
As part of the rebrand of Bethesda Today, we launched a new website. The optimized site features a clean and intuitive design that makes it easier for readers to find the content they are looking for and offers quick access to key sections.
This redesign is more than just a fresh look. It’s a step forward in delivering quality and accessibility to our readers and demonstrates our commitment to evolving alongside our audience’s needs.
As always, our amazing team will continue to provide the coverage of local news that our readers have come to depend on.
Will we be seeing Bethesda Today deliver content in formats other than writing, such as videos and podcasts?
We are actively exploring ways to integrate more video content into our website and social media channels. By incorporating more video content, we aim to enhance how we tell stories and expand how our audience can connect with us. This effort presents an exciting opportunity to make our reporting more accessible and engaging across multiple platforms.
While your publication regularly prints opinion columns by readers, it has never printed editorials on behalf of the outlet itself or endorsed candidates for office. Would Bethesda Today consider those steps in the future?
As an independent news outlet, we are committed to maintaining impartiality in our reporting. In line with this commitment, we have refrained from publishing editorials or endorsing political candidates, and we will continue this practice. Our focus remains on providing fair, accurate and unbiased coverage that empowers our readers to form their own opinions on issues.
What is Bethesda Today not doing now that you would like to be doing within two years?
We have plans to start publishing in-depth, accountability stories that shine a light on important issues in our community. Additionally, we are planning to host events, community discussions and forums that will encourage open dialogue on pressing local issues.
The Bethesda zip codes include less than 10% of Montgomery County’s population. Why should county residents who don’t live in Bethesda regard a publication named after that locale as “Montgomery County’s trusted news source?”
Our coverage area, like many media outlets, extends well beyond our namesake. For example, The Washington Post covers stories that reach far beyond Washington, D.C. and Washingtonian’s coverage extends to the entire DMV. Including “Bethesda” in our name is a deliberate choice to honor our roots and maintain a strong connection to Bethesda Magazine.
Just as Bethesda Magazine does and Bethesda Beat and MoCo360 did, we remain committed to comprehensive coverage across Montgomery County and to being a trusted news source that delivers stories on the issues and topics that matter most to our readers.