Paper(less) Boy
The Saturday Huddle is a weekly column that features opinion, analysis and reflections on Huddle stories, podcasts and business news in the region. Mark Leger is the editor of Huddle.
I got my start in the media business as a kid in Rothesay, New Brunswick, first delivering the weekly Kings County Record to homes in my neighbourhood and then the daily Evening Times-Globe. I still remember the smell of the bag and how the load got lighter on my shoulder as I got deeper into my route. I remember collecting the little envelopes of subscription money at the door and the bigger tips I received at Christmas.
It was more than a decade later that I entered the business as a journalist, first with the now-defunct Daily News in Halifax and then the Telegraph-Journal in Saint John. They were both paid-circulation newspapers, the kind that has since adopted “paywalls” when they create online editions to complement the print ones.
I left the world of paid circulation and digital paywalls when I moved from the Telegraph-Journal in 2000 to launch my own weekly paper with a group of like-minded young people who thought the market was missing a news and entertainment media outlet that targeted a younger demographic. The paper was called here and was circulated free of charge at local businesses and the old-fashioned newspaper boxes on street corners.
In the last 20 years, I have worked for two other free-circulation publications – a cannabis-culture news site called Civilized and, of course, Huddle. Since Huddle launched in 2017, readers have been able to read our news stories and commentaries completely free.
On November 1, we’re moving Huddle into the world of paywalls and paid subscriptions with our new membership program. Starting Monday, you can still receive the free daily e-mail with links to our stories of the day, and you’ll also be able to read this column for free on Saturdays and access Huddle podcasts like Insights on platforms like Apple and Spotify. But after you’ve read three free stories (per month) you’ll be prompted to join our membership program to read more stories.
We value all our readers, regular and casual. By giving readers access to three free articles per month, people who are happy to read the occasional article on a new restaurant or job creation announcement in their area will still be able to do so.
But we wanted to create a way for our more loyal readers to support what we do. As we watched our audience grow steadily over the years – younger and older readers, employees and entrepreneurs – we realized that you were all invested in the success of the region’s businesses; that growth for them meant more vibrant economies and communities. Now we’re asking you to invest in our growth too.
I’ve embraced the spirit of the free circulation model and our ability to share news about business growth in our region with the widest possible audience, barrier-free. But the sun is setting on free publications, just as it did on the print newspaper industry.
I don’t just see this as a new charge that we’re levying on you, our regular readers. I believe it’s an opportunity to deepen our connection and ultimately serve you better. We’ll start regularly seeking your input on the kinds of stories you enjoy and what we could do differently or better.
For example, Trevor Nichols, our Associate Editor in Halifax, wrote a thoughtful commentary this week on the rent control issue in Nova Scotia and the real-life impacts on renters there. You need the news of the day, but I think our reporters and contributors can offer you enhanced value with more informed opinion and analysis pieces on events and issues in the Maritime region.
Nearly 5,000 of you receive the weekday and Saturday e-mail each week, and each month more than 100,000 people read stories they find on our home page or through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I’m so excited to see as many of you as possible become paid members on Monday, November 1, and in the weeks that follow.
Go buy your Huddle membership now ($9.99 monthly; $99 per year). Don’t make me come knocking on your door like I did when I was a kid.
Feedback? E-mail: [email protected].