Times-Standard and Digital Subscriptions

[UPDATE :: Thursday, August 18, 2011 - Just received a Renewal notice and the inclusion of the E-Edition offered is considerably less than the posted amount below. And that's GOOD!]

When the Internet first came online, I was there. It was an exciting time, with new adventures. What made the Internet great and that was truly amazing, for me anyway, was the amount of FREE information, free computer programs, free pictures - you name it - websites such as ZDnet and Cnet including Download.com and Delphi Forums where you can talk about anything. What I loved was that it was all there FREE for the taking. And that was only a small part of the potential available online. Not so, anymore. Witness the latest from:

Times-Standard website to set limits on free access

Beginning today, MediaNews Group, Inc. is launching a digital subscription model for several of its affiliate papers including the Times-Standard.

This digital subscription will affect some readers, allowing free access to a limited set of content on a monthly basis.

Once the limit has been reached, readers will be asked to subscribe to have full access to http://www.times-standard.com/.

All readers of http://www.times-standard.com/ will have free access to the home page, classifieds, obituaries and announcements section at all times. In addition, readers will have an additional five free pages of editorial content per month available before being asked to subscribe.

Current print subscribers may extend their subscription to include full digital access for an additional $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year.

Digital-only subscriptions will be available to those who are not currently print subscribers for $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year.

To subscribe, visit https://www.subscriberconcierge.com/eureka/.

I notice that current subscribers can pay an extra $20.00 a year for full digital access. I'm not sure it's even worth it. Paying for "editorial content" that's mostly irrelevant or or more importantly written by igoistic, unilateral, literalist believers or is relegated to simple mudslingning autocratic self-servers doesn't say much for the value.

I guess it never occurs to these people that a good product - good reporting, accurate, truthful and timely news reports is the time-honored way of producing revenues, both for them, their readers and advertisers. A naked police press release without relevant followup is as skewed and basically irrelevant as it gets. We don't need some corporate master telling us what is and is not. Show some respect for your readers with simple facts that backup the truth where people can decide for themselves. Followup on important stories. People want to know what happens when it takes a year to investigate BEFORE any comment or resolution. We've got plenty of mainstream media nonsense without involving the local media too.

--Joe