2006-09-21

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Acorn online content now offered free

'Paywall' removed

The new millennium has been a transformative time for newspaper publishing.

Changing reader habits and the advent of new technology have placed big demands on companies in the print news business.

The Acorn and its parent company, Times Media Group, understand that their biggest responsibility is not only the delivery of credible, relevant information in a timely fashion, but making sure residents have easy access to the publication when stories become available.

That’s why we’re super excited about the news being shared today.

Following a five-year stretch in which Acorn readers were given the option of purchasing online subscriptions to the paper, that so-called “paywall” is coming down.

“Mr. Publisher, tear down this wall,” the late President Ronald Reagan might have once said.

And so we did.

Starting immediately, all online content from our five Acorn publications will be available at no charge to the reader, meaning a paid subscription is no longer required to click and read articles. The weekly Acorn has always been delivered to your driveway at no cost—that more than 40-year tradition will continue—and from now on The Acorn on the internet will be free as well.

Why the change?

The Acorn is your community newspaper, and we want to make sure it stays that way. We believe it’s important that residents feel a connection to the stories we write and also learn about the businesses that advertise in their community. The absence of a paywall is the best way to ensure this free-flow of information remains.

We also invite readers to sign up for the new, easy-to-read Acorn newspaper e-edition delivered weekly to your e-mail. Viewed on mobile, desktop or laptop, the pages are super easy to navigate and, free, just like the print paper.

Local journalism is first gear in the engine that drives America’s free press, and a free press it shall be.

Archives

Residents to lead Homes Tour



The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura has named its committee chairs for the 15th anniversary Holiday Homes Tour, and several area residents are included. Oak Park resident Cathy Gerrard will lead the team that manages the marketing for the self-guided tour of select Conejo Valley homes on Dec. 2 and 3. Moorpark resident Mabyn Morgan will chair the house management committee and […]

Mystic Day seeks sponsors



The Conejo Valley Guild of the Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation/ UCLA is seeking sponsorships for its annual Mystic Day fundraiser set for Sat., Nov. 11 at the Hyatt Westlake Plaza, 880 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village. The guild raises money for cancer research in the form of seed grants given to doctors and researchers at the Jonsson Center. The event […]

Kick off for Calabasas Pumpkin Festival



The Calabasas Chamber of Commerce invites the public to join in the traditional “Raising Punky” celebration at 5:30 p.m. tonight, Thurs., Sept. 21 at the Acura 101 West car dealership, 24650 Calabasas Road, Calabasas. Punky, the icon of the Pumpkin Festival, will be raised onto the rooftop of the building for viewing from the 101 Freeway and surrounding areas. After […]

Sea Fest coming to Ventura



Mermaids, giant underwater sandcastles, Polynesian dancers and a dozen Gilligan look-alikes will be featured at the 11th annual Ventura Harbor Village Sea Fest from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sun., Sept. 24. Entertainment and contests will be featured on three stages: the Tiki stage, the Underwater Children’s stage and the Sea, Surf and Sand stage. Visitors will see live Polynesian […]

Great accomplishment



SHANE SHINES-Shane Kutasi of Calabasas celebrates his bar mitzvah at Temple Aliyah in Woodland Hills. The A.E. Wright Middle School eighth grader is the first severely autistic young man to complete his bar mitzvah at the temple. Shane brought many of the congregants to tears with his readings.

Family fun at Scandinavian fair



TENTATIVE TOSS-Rebecka Thorsen, 12, of Oak Park throws her fragile cargo in the air during a traditional egg toss at the Scandinavian Fall Festival on Sept. 17 at Vasa Park in Agoura Hills. The event is held year to celebrate the Scandinavian culture.

Young artist wins big at Ventura County Fair



When most toddlers were chewing on their crayons, Sierra Chartier, now 9, was handling the waxy colored sticks with skill, drawing pictures of her favorite subject-animals. Sierra is an accomplished artist and she’s only in the fourth grade at Sumac Elementary School in Agoura Hills. She was recently honored for her artistic ability at the Ventura County Fair, winning the […]

Love of nature turns into a lifetime passion



Life’s journey has taken Agoura Hills resident and filmmaker Gary Holland to some of the farthest reaches of the globe, yet his work is far from over. The films he has made with Jacques Cousteau and Cousteau’s son, Jean-Michel, have helped ignite worldwide interest in animals and the environment. The knowledge he has brought home to share after more than […]

Halloween activities at Pierce College



The family-friendly Halloween Harvest Festival begins Fri., Sept. 29 and continues through Oct. 31 at Pierce College, 6498 De Soto Ave., Woodland Hills. Activities include pumpkins, 5acre corn maze, two haunted houses, 2-acre haunted trail, hay rides, bungee bounce, rock climbing, pony rides, petting zoo, food, music and more. After dark, the haunted house will turn into a FrightFair Scream […]

Biography offers sympathy for the devil



He’s not the enemy of God, his name really isn’t Lucifer and he isn’t even evil. And as far as leading Adam and Eve astray, that was a bad rap stemming from a case of mistaken identity. “There’s little or no evidence in the Bible for most of the characteristics and deeds commonly attributed to Satan,” insists a UCLA professor […]