On Monday, May 25, the Chronicle’s paywall provider will be changing the appearance of stories for non-subscribers.
Since we started using a paywall a few years ago, non-subscribers who clicked on a story on the website or in one of our newsletters would see the headline and first few sentences of a story. The words would fade out and a pop-up box would appear inviting the reader to sign up for free limited access to our content.
Everything will work the same starting Monday except instead of seeing the beginning of the story, non-subscribers will see a black box. (Nothing will change for subscribers, who can see all content without pop-up messages.) As always, non-subscribers will still be able to sign up for free limited access, which includes one free article for a non-logged-in reader plus one free article after registration. The third article requires upgrading to a paid subscription.
Our website provider said the change is designed to increase free registrations and (we hope) subsequent paid subscriptions. The income the Chronicle receives from readers is essential for maintaining breadth of coverage of our two very busy villages. Without the revenue from subscribers, we could not afford to have our freelance reporters cover as many meetings and events as we do now.
Subscribers also help protect us against the ups and downs of the local economy. When times are hard, some businesses cut back on advertising. We are starting to see that happen now as energy and food prices remain high.
More than a decade ago, when readers asked us to consider starting a print edition, we held a fundraising campaign to support our first print edition. Many people contributed then, and we continue to receive (and appreciate) all the support our community provides to keep the local paper going. Thank you.
We hope non-subscribing readers will understand the purpose of the new appearance of stories on the website. And we hope more of them will subscribe and help keep local news thriving.
Eric Crump, Marilyn Thomas and Randall Weissman, editors
