I’ve been flooded with messages of support since we shut down. I asked permission to share these messages from the folks who sent them. I have been so amazed and humbled by how much people really had emotionally invested in Circa. It makes me feel really proud of what we were able to build and the impact we have now created in the industry.
Here’s a sample of some of the letters I’ve received…
To Anthony and my distant friends at Circa News—
It is with great sadness that I started my morning off with the Farewell, from Circa headliner. I won’t torture you by yearning for the what-ifs and the if-onlys; still, I had to write you because I feel oddly close to the team that for so long now has brought me my daily news brief. Your idea was brilliant and you changed the market—there is no denying that. In today’s America we find ourselves at odds with the current event paradox. That is, technology, social movements, crowd-sourced collaboration and the freedom of press make accessing real, unbiased, ugly-truthed frontline news more possible than ever; yet, we amass a naive population that becomes disgruntled and misguided by ‘news’ organizations that are controlled by their advertisers so much so that what becomes the top story on every major news source is more often than not a ‘fluff’ to redirect attention from the real stories and make an aggregate audience fell all warm and fuzzy inside. But you already know this.
I’m not reaching out as part of a last-ditch effort to ignite your passions, sometimes the good fight leaves us hung out to dry. I just wanted to make sure that one loyal fan (and hopefully many more) communicated to you all that Circa News changed my life by allowing me to stay informed without getting overwhelmed. Its succinct story bites made room for more content and granted me the time to become better informed about so much more than was previously possible. I applaud your efforts, and I am truly sad to see you go. For the record, if I were not still a start-up adult paying too high of rent covering someone else’s mortgage, if I had more than 2 pennies to rub together, if I had money to fund a project—it would have gone to Circa. I wish each and every one of you the absolute best in your next ventures and hope to see more journalist institutions take a turn down the not-so-beaten path that you’ve been walking for almost 4 years now. Good luck and God bless each of the members on the Circa News team.
All the best,
Nicole Duffy
Circa reader and advocate since 2012
New Orleans, LA
(Hey Anthony: I didn’t know if your customer contact email still worked. So thought I’d send it to you guys here.)
Dear Matt and the Circa Team,
What a truly sad day for journalism and even worse for me. How am I supposed to get my day going without you guys?!?
I’ve searched across all the lands (and a few oceans) for a way to read the news, have context, breadth in opinions/sources, and be updated on my topics of interest in one place. Nobody else managed to do all of these things except YOU!!!
Is it too late to say “take my money!!?” I didn’t know you guys needed money.
Will you take subscriptions? Because I would give it in the blink of an eye. Oh, how my uncaffinated heart is filled with guilt and regret.
As I stare blankly with red soggy eyes at my lonely coffee machine, spitting out its last cup of I-can-deal serum to go with my favorite news app. I salute you! (Quietly and totally alone in tee shirt, raccoon slippers, and underwear)
You’ve been amazing !! You’ve done something meaningful for me. You’ve been a part of my day every morning for years.
Thank You and please don’t give up on good journalism no matter where you go!
I can’t wait to see what you guys do next ! Please keep me posted.
Sincerely,
Zin
Ps. Are you selling the app/company by any chance?
I’m not looking for talent. I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for providing readers with an app that brought the best news to mobile devices. I’ve been using Circa since its inception and couldn’t have been happier with it. Your dedication and professionalism brought us stories with accurate and relevant information about the stories we care about.
Circa has always been about brass tacks. Informative, to the point and, most of all, unbiased reporting. I had never even considered utilizing any other new outlet. You were the best. I have no doubt that the talented staff at Circa will find excellent opportunities.
I would like to, again, say thank you for all that you have brought us. I hope you are proud of what you built because it truly is something to marvel.An honest news service that never failed to deliver.
Thank you for what you have given us,
Sincerely,
Ron Bodamer (Loyal Circa reader)
You’ve broken every important news story to me over the past few years, first on twitter and then here. You do awesome work. Keep it up!
Before I (sadly) delete this app? …(for now)
I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed and followed your app.
I am a graphic designer and learned of circa through school! In design school we spoke of UX and UI in regards to your app. You are a precedent and an inspiration and will not be forgotten. I hope to read circa again someday…(it was part of my daily routine).
Dear sir or madam,
Please overlook the format of this email, but not the content.
The moment I read the feature story of Circa’s farewell, my heart lost a beat.
I simply couldn’t believe this is happening but there is nothing I could do.
I’m a journalism student and I think Circa is the BEST news reading app I’ve ever used, the off-line reading, no ads, the scrolling design, divided sections, following stories…everything is just so perfectly done.
I deeply admire the journalist group that dedicated to Circa, I hope things can be better one day, and it will be better.
Looking forward for you to come back.
Best wishes.
Yours, Sameen
I have enjoyed your news organization more than any other and hope that you can salvage it. I am willing to pay a subscription price to continue reading.
If that is not possible, then many thanks for all the enjoyable and real reading and many good wishes to you and all your staff. You will be missed!
Sent from Alice Treska
Hi Anthony,
I have been using Circa for more than a year now and have loved it from the first time I used it. The fact that Circa required no purchase and never shoved advertisements in my faced made It that much more enjoyable and professional. I read my wire daily, expanding my knowledge and general awareness of the modern world. Thank you so much for such a wonderful app, I, and I’m sure many others, found it to be an awesome experience.
Sincerely,
Nate
Anthony –
Dear Circa,
You were the BEST news company/app ever! You’re on my iPhone front page! I loved the “Follow Story” feature. There has to be a way to save Circa! This is the worst news. I was honored to be asked a few times to participate in your betas and feedback (I didn’t because I work for Apple and wasn’t sure if they still allowed that; rules change). Thank you for all the super hard work you put into Circa. I definitely always felt it was the highest class journalism and app out there. And, I was soooo excited when it came to Apple Watch! Circa, you will always be in my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Liz Henning
Dear Mr. De Rosa,
Please accept my sincerest condolences on the loss of this project’s current incarnation. My friends and I greatly enjoyed Circa’s meticulous attention to detail, ergonomic design, and utmost impartiality. We hope that Circa will live on through its dedicated team, wherever you may go.
Yours truly, and thanks again,
Max Matiauda
My best,
Naseem
Philadelphia, PA
Some selections from Twitter:
my go to news app is gone. feel lost in sea of bloated news apps dripping of sensationalistic headlines—this will hurt. replacing @Circa #fb
— kora (@korafotomorgana) June 28, 2015
This is so sad. It was the best news app out there. https://t.co/qRExWzuoDo
— Michael Hurta (@MichaelHurta) June 28, 2015
Woke up this morning, rolled over to my phone, and instantly missed my @Circa feed. Well done, again, @AntDeRosa and crew. To the next one.
— Bud Caddell (@bud_caddell) June 28, 2015
@kimfox @NiemanLab @markcoddington I really liked @circa. Very sad by the news this week.
— Megan GriffithGreene (@griffithgreene) June 28, 2015
https://twitter.com/danielrruf/status/615178162654347264
Circa was definitely on to something. Sad to see it go. https://t.co/rqJBFCXSOn
— Pete Jelliffe (@petroleumj) June 28, 2015
Good bye @Circa . You were my one of five app that I use almost daily. Que Boyz 2 men it's so hard to say good bye pic.twitter.com/TYT7coW1xW
— 768px Deep (@rcasseus) June 28, 2015
@Circa sorry to hear you guys are shutting down. Been using your app for a while now and it's been my go-to news app since I first got it.
— Nikita Tchesnokov (@NikitaTch) June 28, 2015
@Circa I'm so sorry to see you guys go. I can't believe it. It was a wonderful run and I wish you all the best.
— Silver (@whimsibubble) June 28, 2015
RIP @Circa – thank you for being genuinely excellent, and sorry it ended up going this way. Best of luck, guys http://t.co/h9cbv4F7WV
— Michael Quirke (@msdq) June 28, 2015
Really enjoyed your product/service. Sorry to see you go @Circa "Farewell, from Circa" http://t.co/TxAVyh03fL
— Vanessa Meyer (@VanessMeyer) June 28, 2015
I'm admittedly pretty bummed about the demise of @Circa. It was essentially my favorite news app.
— excitable honky (@excitablehonky) June 28, 2015
.@Circa was one of the few news-related apps I used on mobile. Sad to see it go, but I hope the team finds success in their next venture.
— Brian Mordeca (@brianmordeca) June 28, 2015
https://twitter.com/OcGay/status/614937060625944577
@Circa was daring in its industry's dire time. They have all my respect.
— Alessandro Mingione (@almingione) June 27, 2015
@Circa I want to say thank you. You’ve been my go to news app for a long time. I wish you guys the best.
— Josh Barrow (@Carbamide) June 27, 2015
I am so sad to hear about @Circa shutting down. Phenomenal app and unimpeachable journalism. @AntDeRosa, I hope it makes a comeback.
— Joshua Kelly (@JoshuaKelly116) June 27, 2015
Thank you @Circa for giving me the nuts and bolts of news for 2+ years!!Going to miss you. If you have a sister company, holla!!!
— Ram Parimi (@ramrparimi) June 27, 2015
Very sad; was such an exciting model for news delivery. All substance, always in context of the big picture. https://t.co/kC3RVog0rP
— Zak Accuardi (@zaccuardi) June 27, 2015
Total bummer to see @Circa closing its doors. Has been my favorite news source for the past few years by a long shot.
— Sam Kaplan (@The_Big_Kat) June 27, 2015
Really disappointed that @Circa News closed up shop this week. Good concept. Great platform. Well done.
— Brett Dickerson (@BrettDOkc) June 27, 2015
@AntDeRosa @Circa you can add me to that list.
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) June 25, 2015
RIP to @Circa, which was just a great little news app IMHO. A favorite in my stable. Best of luck to everyone on staff.
— Jennifer Westhoven (@JenWesthoven) June 25, 2015
Team @Circa deserve huge credit for rethinking how news might work on mobile and how to use analytics to deliver a better service
— Kate Day (@kate_day) June 25, 2015
While many saw @Circa as a news app, its real asset was a smart mobile cms – very early in this game. Sad they couldn't monetize their tech.
— Anita Zielina (@Zielina) June 25, 2015
The people at @circa had it right. Just the facts. No opinion. Short and sweet. Anywhere else presenting news this way?
— Scott Melker (@scottmelker) June 25, 2015
Sad to see @Circa news app shut down — you were one of my 2 favorites! Thanks for the function, content, & simplicity. Great app!
— Jay Brannan (@jaybrannan) June 24, 2015
.@Circa was the *best* positioned media company for updates, alerts, mobile, wearable. Should have been bought. Still can be…
— Jeff Jarvis (@jeffjarvis) June 24, 2015
1/ Sad to see @Circa go. We've shared many mobile-first ideals over the years, and they helped bring inspiration+ideas to the industry.
— Cory Bergman (@corybe) June 24, 2015
Mobile apps are tough. Huge respect to everyone at @Circa who set the bar high for news apps.@AntDeRosa & team should be proud of their work
— Priya Ganapati (@pgcat) June 24, 2015
.@Circa was one of the best iPhone/Android apps out there. I checked it first thing in the morning, at lunch and right bed. Sad to see it go
— Dan Graziano (@DanGraziano) June 24, 2015
Hats off to the excellent @antderosa who is typically looking out for his team as @circa comes to an end. https://t.co/6y1ZC38dhv
— Janine Gibson (@janinegibson) June 24, 2015
Sad to see @circa go — a lot of really interesting thinking about news there https://t.co/EBDoM9PICG
— Ben Smith (@BuzzFeedBen) June 24, 2015
an amazing delivery platform ahead of it's time, @circa you will be a missed app in my daily news routine https://t.co/J2m4zCThPD
— Rob Hedrick (@DCRobTV) June 24, 2015
Very unhappy about writing this one! Great product. News app @Circa goes on "indefinite hiatus": http://t.co/BNVb3Bj4Fk by @nealunger
— Neal Ungerleider (@nealunger) June 24, 2015
Thank you @circa. For taking the risk and trying. Journalism needs more people like this. Respect. https://t.co/5sPKHMMuua
— mark little (@marklittlenews) June 24, 2015
Major news orgs burn multiples of @circa's funding on failed projects without any comparable contribution to solving basic design problems.
— Nicholas Dawes (@NicDawes) June 24, 2015
So bummed about @Circa. They were doing so many things really well.
— Scott Montgomery (@scottmdc) June 24, 2015
Sad to hear the @Circa news. The app and execution really inspired a mobile-first approach for many newsrooms. https://t.co/7OzLT83e3Z
— Katie Hawkins-Gaar (@katiehawk) June 24, 2015
Really sad to see @Circa closed down, it really moved forward the industry's thinking on mobile news. https://t.co/yeFb9weBnd
— Neal Mann (@fieldproducer) June 24, 2015
Sad to hear about @Circa folding. Liked what they were trying to do and have much respect for @mg and @AntDeRosa. https://t.co/6krPYOo1uB
— Jeff Bercovici (@jeffbercovici) June 24, 2015
We should celebrate things like @circa and people like @AntDeRosa for trying something new and pushing. Sad it ended https://t.co/kIxJhr7Mu6
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 24, 2015
These are the talented folks from the late @circa news. https://t.co/ucVlpv0fhH Give their writers a look. https://t.co/EfT0nafWCE
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) June 24, 2015
I'm pretty sad about this @Circa https://t.co/fJ2hUHYtrz
— Harrison Weber (@HarrisonWeber) June 24, 2015
Sad news about @circa. The industry needs more ambitious mobile news ideas and products like this. Best of luck. https://t.co/sRdWHPJ5pu
— Etan Horowitz (@etanowitz) June 24, 2015
I'm sorry, @circa. Some wonderful things are just created before their time. You were one.
— Stephanie Haberman (@StephLauren) June 24, 2015