A digital subscription will soon be required to read news content and eeditions on the Herald’s website. As a transition to subscription-only access, registration will be required to access news articles and eeditions beginning August 1, 2021. With registration, Herald readers will receive a free trial subscription and discounted subscription rates for a limited time.
Why Subscriptions?
In May of 2019, the Herald applied a “metered paywall” to news content. This leaky paywall garnered a few hundred devoted Herald subscribers, but many thousands of monthly Herald website users easily averted the paywall and the nominal subscription price. With the Covid health emergency, the Herald removed the paywall altogether. Subscriptions actually increased … a bit … for awhile.
With the official health emergency now ended, the Herald will require subscriptions for news content and eeditions. This will be a “hard paywall,” which will require users to purchase a subscription and to be logged into the website to access the premium content areas.
Subscription prices will remain unchanged for a limited period of time, but a price increase is planned in the very near future. Ardent Herald news readers are urged to subscribe now to secure a lower-priced subscription.
If you enjoy reading Herald content on your digital devices, we are counting on you to help support these features and our local journalism activities through your digital subscription.
Most Content Still Free
We continue to offer unlimited, FREE access to all other areas of our website. So, Classifieds, DoTheShore, events, obituaries, Spout Off … everything except content in the news section and eeditions remains FREE and unlimited.
And, the Herald print edition is available FREE at locations throughout Cape May County each Wednesday; though, we are now seeking nominal payment at some locations – e.g., Wawa and Acme stores.
Why Digital Subscriptions?
For over 50 years, the Herald fostered a free newspaper habit for Cape May County’s residents and visitors – funded by a steady stream of advertisers eager to connect with an unrivaled local readership.
The digital media transformation has sorely strained the advertising-based business model for media companies both globally and locally. Digital advertising is very different from print advertising. While our digital audience is even larger than our print audience, our revenue from digital advertising is much less than from print advertising.
As our digital media activities have expanded, the limited degree of support from digital advertising has become increasingly problematic, especially amid advertising declines exacerbated by the Covid-related impacts on local businesses.
We feel privileged to serve this community, and we are eager to do more – more journalistic coverage, more digital media services, more of what you want, when and how you want it. To do these things, we must derive more revenue from our readers and from our digital media operations.
High Value, Low Cost
The Herald delivers more local news content to more people in Cape May County than any other news source. We’re hoping you will help us do even more.
We are now offering digital subscriptions either yearly at $30/year (less than $1/week) or monthly at $5/month. On or about September 1, subscriptions will increase to $50/year (still less than $1/week) or $5/week.
We are grateful for your faithful readership – in print or online, weekly or anytime, and we appreciate your support.
To subscribe now, please go to CapeMayCountyHerald.com/subscribe.
Thank you!
