AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Central New York newspaper enacts paid model for customers
Louis Leibowitz: Eagle News serves five local communities in Central New York. This local paper is asking customers to pay $78 a year, or $1.50 a week, for home delivery. Eagle News publisher David Tyler says that subscriptions could lead to more content in the long term for customers.
David Tyler: We want to invest in content. And, you know, the revenue that having a subscription base can help support that.
Leibowitz: A lot of stories that come from Eagle News are from 12 to 15 contributors that write stories for the paper. Despite the small staff, Eagle News sports editor Phil Blackwell says continued success means one thing.
Phil Blackwell: Being there all the time, week to week to week. It can be very, very exhaustive at times. I mean, the consistency is the key.
Leibowitz: Eagle News’ staff will know more about the potential success starting March 11 when this paid model starts. Louis Leibowitz, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Eagle News, a local community newspaper that has served the Baldwinsville, Skaneateles, Cazenovia, Liverpool and Dewitt since 1913, is going to charge customers for home delivery starting next month. This is the first time that Eagle News has charged customers since 2012.
Eagle News will be charging $78 annually, or $1.50 a week, for home delivery. This cost will also give access to the new website that Eagle will be launching soon.
David Tyler has spent his entire career at Eagle News since the paper started in 1993. Tyler sees this model as a way to get support for his writing staff to create more content than they have before.
“We want to invest in content. The revenue that having a subscription base can help support that,” said Tyler.
Although most of the response Tyler has received is positive from subscribers, there are some unhappy customers. Tyler believes that this comes with a new norm that Eagle is trying to put into place.
“If you offer something for free, for a long period of time, and then you tell them that you’re going to charge them for it, there’s always going to be some people who don’t appreciate that,” said Tyler.
The Eagle News is made up of six editorial staff members and 12 to 15 contributing writers. One of those editorial members is sports editor Phil Blackwell. Despite being one of the only people contributing to sports coverage, Blackwell only sees one solution for changes that come.
“Being there all the time, week to week to week. It can be very, very exhaustive at times. The consistency is the key,” said Blackwell.
The Eagle staff also feels that gaining more support would help to revamp coverage around the local community. Blackwell sees the potential that he could gain more access to different sporting events if more people get involved.
“Hopefully when people see our new website, then people can see that our coverage is just as sharp and good, and I always welcome people who want to write and want to help us,” said Blackwell.
Time will tell if a new economic model will help Eagle’s News in the long-term. The local paper will send out its first paper under this model on March 11.