Methow Valley Examiner is getting a makeover starting tomorrow (Friday).

I built the original site with phone help and screensharing with my hosting provider. It took about two months of daily work to get everything up and running.

Three months later, I woke up to find my site layout had changed.

The events calendar stopped accepting submissions, for some reason.

The pictures were distorted.

Randomly, I received notices of malicious files that took hours to clear with my hosting provider.

It became obvious this arrangement wasn’t going to work. I didn’t have the bandwidth to spend hours per week on technical issues, including webinars about how to avoid technical issues.

I went in search for help.

I found a company that provides tech services for independent publishers.

What that means for me is that I can write more articles instead of playing whack-a-mole with tech problems.

What that means for you is more content.

The new site will go up on Friday, October 4. The first article will be free to everyone. The second will require an email to login. The third will require a $50 annual subscription.

To our current subscribers, a heart-felt thank you. You can use your email and password to login. (If you forgot your password, you can reset it by entering your email.)

Why are we shifting toward a paid subscription?

While you may be used to “free” news content, it isn’t actually free. Publishers rely on subscriptions, advertising, and fundraising to produce content.

I would rather be writing, but the reality is what it is.

An annual subscription comes to $4.16 monthly. A peak behind the scenes: how long does it take to research and write a story? Is that time worth $4.16?

But, you’re not getting one story, you’re getting a month of stories, typically 2-3 articles per week. Is that worth $4.16?

If not, then you shouldn’t subscribe. I won’t be offended. We value different things, and that’s okay.

If you do subscribe before Friday, your subscription will be $48 for the year. Starting Friday, it’ll be $50/year.

I look forward to seeing you on the other side.

I am the founder and editor of Methow Valley Examiner, an online publication for locals, by locals. We explore stories beyond the headlines.

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