Medina offers full digital access subscriptions

Beginning Monday, medina-gazette.com will limit non-subscribers to reading five free stories per month. After the limit, readers can subscribe for full digital access. Our introductory price for a three-month subscription will be 99 cents, then $7.08 per month. Your digital subscription includes unlimited viewing of the news, photos and videos on the website as well as daily and up to a year of archive access to our E-edition, a digital replica of the print newspaper — plus a menu of other extras and news alerts that can be activated by your choice. The plan to require a subscription for most digital access has been on the drawing board for the last year or so, and was scheduled for earlier this year — then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. What we've seen is a substantial increase in the demand for the local news and information we provide, and a decrease in print advertising revenue as that demand moved to our digital platforms. Like many of you, we also face sudden economic realities that demand changes in the way we work that will allow us to continue to provide the information you need, as well as keep our employees working and our business healthy. Our reporters, photographers, artists and designers continue to work to produce the local news you depend upon, our business office employees perform all the administrative tasks necessary to keep a publishing company operating and the people who run the presses and deliver the newspaper to your doorstep, computers and cell phones. Their commitment to providing news and information has only intensified, even during the brief period in which all employees were placed on a 32-hour instead of a 40-hour work week. We've also reduced the size of our paper, newsprint being our second highest expense. We know these are temporary fixes, and not unlike many of the other places you choose to obtain news and entertainment, it has become clear to us that we can no longer provide our products as a free service on the web. Our introductory offer, 99 cents for three months, is designed in acknowledgement that what we are going through now is an unprecedented struggle shared by everyone. If you are a current Medina Gazette subscriber, you already have free access to everything we offer on our digital platforms by registering your subscription at medina-gazette.com/activate. If you need help, contact customer service (888) 836-8328. The Gazette is owned by Lorain County Printing & Publishing, which also owns The Chronicle-Telegram. My first job was with the family business. I even played on the company softball team. Over the years, I have written for the LCPP websites and spent five years as general manager — on-the-job training to become publisher in 2017 and president in 2018. It's not simply about making a profit. It's about making sure you profit from being a supporter of our local journalism. Especially now, that commitment is more crucial than ever. My family and the employees who work hard every day to provide news in our communities are committed to continue to evolve in ways that serve you better. So, if you are a subscriber, thank you, sincerely, for your support over the years. If you are new to The Gazette, know that we are committed to providing news that is worth your investment. Bill Hudnutt is president of Lorain County Printing & Publishing and publisher of both The Medina Gazette and The Chronicle-Telegram. Reach him at (440) 329-7291 or bhudnutt@medina-gazette.com.