I think a local newspaper subscription should cost the same as a basic Netflix subscription. Change my mind.

I certainly value my local newspaper more than a streaming subscription. My local newspaper keeps me informed about my community and connected with my neighbours. It informs and entertains me in ways that enrich my life more than the latest episode of House of the Dragon. 

Spotify doesn’t send a reporter to my council meetings. Disney+ isn’t giving free advertising to my local non-profit.  And neither of them are keeping local residents employed. 

So how comfortable are you paying the same?

I know life is expensive. From the grocery aisle to the gas pump, prices continue to climb, and the ability for an entire generation to afford their first home is slipping away.

Our team at THE EQUITY is not immune to these economic pressures. When I purchased the newspaper a little over a year ago, one of my first priorities was signing new contracts with every employee. Those agreements immediately raised their wages and guaranteed an annual cost-of-living adjustment going forward. Investing directly in our people (and working toward paying a true living wage) is the best way to retain talented staff and protect our 143-year legacy.

At the same time, we’ve been reinvesting in the paper itself. Over the past year, we’ve expanded our physical newspaper, introduced new features like the Community Calendar and local crossword, all while continuing to report on important Pontiac news and improving the various ways we deliver it to our digital audience.

Today’s paper is a testament to that work. At a whopping 32 pages, it is the largest edition of THE EQUITY that has been produced in our entire history. We’re incredibly proud of the local journalism, photography, and storytelling that showcases our community and the 170th anniversary of the region’s largest event – the Shawville Fair.

Delivering this kind of higher-quality product inevitably costs more to print, distribute, and staff. To sustain these investments, I want to take a moment and share our multi-year pricing strategy for our subscription rates.

I believe that a subscription to a weekly newspaper packed with local accountability, stories, and regional history is worth at least the price of a chocolate bar a week, or Netflix – $9/month ($100/year).  

That’s not our price today, and it’s not the price we’re going to charge tomorrow.  But starting Oct. 1, our subscription rates will increase by $0.42 per month (or $5 per year), with similar annual adjustments over the next five years.  An annual print subscription will now cost an average of $6.25/month ($75/year), and an annual digital subscription $5/month ($60/year).

None of this money goes to a distant corporation or hedge fund. It stays here in the Pontiac. We are locally owned, staffed by local residents. We aren’t in this to line our pockets. Take a look at our shop car next time we’re out covering events as evidence of this. But a local newspaper is unfortunately not something that can be taken for granted anymore, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure honest, local journalism continues in this community for decades to come. 

To honour your loyalty, all existing subscribers will be grandfathered in at their current rates for one more year before seeing any change. To offer even more value, we will also soon allow subscribers to post classified ads for free.

If you don’t believe that this newspaper provides you the same value as Netflix, then I’d love to have that conversation about how we can do better. 

I will be sitting behind a folding table at
THE EQUITY’s booth all weekend at the Shawville Fair. Come pull up a chair, test my thesis, or just chat.

We sincerely thank each of you for supporting the stories that (continue to) connect us to one another.