An Important Note From Ben

In response to this outpouring of support, I wanted to reach out to you all for two reasons.

Firstly, I’d like to extend a huge thanks to all of our readers for the overwhelming response to the launch of The Banter Newsletter. We were genuinely surprised by the outpouring of support after we closed The Daily Banter and are eternally grateful for the kind words directed our way.

Some of the manny comments left on the site were truly touching, particularly this one from long time reader Aaron:

You have all helped me through some very dark times with your writing, helping to keep me afloat through some awful times in my life, giving me a lifeline of sanity at times when I felt like I was all alone and there was nothing worth living for and a dark world was swallowing me up in a black gulf of oblivion and void. The Daily Banter gave me a place to unwind, decompress, and engage in great conversation with other intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate people... it's been a bastion of hope for me.

The Banter genuinely saved me, more than once. I still remember with pride when a quote from me was at the top of the page for a short time. I excitedly showed it to my brother, who was also a regular reader though he never posted comments.

I will never be able to repay you for everything you have done for me, Ben and Bob. And for everything Chez did for me. I have been subscribing as often as I have been able to despite my extremely tight budget, usually managing to do so and paying on a weekly basis, and I will continue to do so as often as I can.

Thank you, Ben, for the wonderful community you created for me. You've done more for me than you will ever realize here. I have made genuine friends here. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I seriously want you to know that it has all been worth it, and I will always be with you and The Banter.

In the midst of my angst over closing down the site, I had, at least partially, forgotten just how intimate the relationship with our readers had grown over the years. To read comments like this and receive heartfelt emails describing how important we have been to the daily lives of our readers was extremely humbling.

In response to this outpouring of support, I wanted to reach out to you all for two reasons. The first is to announce we are extending our offer of 50% off a subscription to The Banter Newsletter for the first year for the next 24 hours. People are continuing to subscribe and due to the overwhelming response, we want to make sure all of our readers take advantage of the offer. The discount is added automatically to your order, so there is no need to add a coupon or enter any special info.

The second is to ask for you input on what you’d like to hear from us. We are planning some regular features for the newsletter, one being a more personal email from myself and Bob Cesca on what we are reading, watching and listening to. We are also thinking of a private Facebook group for members to chat and share articles, and a brief round up of the big stories of the week. We are very much open to suggestions though, so feel free to leave comments or email me!

Again, thank you so much for going on this journey with us. You make The Banter what it is, and that is not something we’ll ever forget.

Ben