2008-08-07

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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

National Night Out keeps neighborhoods, law enforcement in touch



Oak Park residents got to know each other and the public servants who protect them during National Night Out Against Crime, held locally on Sat., Aug. 2. The annual crime awareness program seeks to strengthen the bond between law enforcement officials and the communities they serve in an effort to keep neighborhoods safe. Seven Oak Park neighborhoods participated in this […]

Baseball City takes a final at bat

'Cages' were a fixture in the community

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers FASTBALL—Agoura Hills resident Eric Corsello gets his licks in. It has been about a month since baseball fans learned that the quaint, outoftheway business in Agoura Hills known simply as "the batting cages" would be closing.   On the final day—July 31—a stream of regulars couldn’t help but stop by one last time to bid owners Sol […]

Oak Park garden an offshoot of escalating food prices



With grocery prices on the rise, Conejo Valley consumers are finding that growing their own food has become a viable way to save money. And, for the first time in its six-year history, the Oak Park Community Garden is nearly filled to capacity with gardeners. Only three of the 66 plots in the garden at the northwest corner of Kanan […]

Teammates, always



For the past 22 years, Tuesdays with Murray Wald and Bill Locklear were spent at Baseball City in Agoura Hills. But when the Baseball City batting cages closed on July 31, the longtime friends were forced to come up with a new game plan. The baseball pals would meet weekly at 5:30 p.m. to take their swings in the 70 […]

Election day presents multitude of possibilities

Many local races are schedule

Besides being the day when the presidential election is held, Tues., Nov. 4 also presents voters with a variety of local races for school districts, city councils, park boards and water boards. Candidates have until 5 p.m. Fri., Aug. 8 to file for the races. The following is an alphabetical rundown of the local area elections: •Calleguas Municipal Water District—three […]

College grad already successful in competitive film industry



Spenser Cohen is a 22yearold college graduate determined to making a name for himself in the film industry. With a couple of short films on the independent film circuit, a completed music video for “American Idol” finalist Ace Young’s debut album and several treatments being pitched to two major record labels, Cohen is on his way to his dream job […]

Woman says living is easy at 102



According to Madeline Perry, God doesn’t want to take her, and neither does the devil. “So here I sit,” says the spry centurion, who will celebrate her 102nd birthday in Agoura Hills on Aug. 19. A resident of the Agoura Hills Senior Retreat, a senior living community, Perry still appears fit as a fiddle and maneuvers her walker as if […]

At The Library



The Agoura Hills Library entertains a full lineup for August. All programs and events will be at the library, 29901 Ladyface Court, Agoura Hills. For more information, call (818) 889-2278. •Library Fine-Free Week will be Mon. to Sun., Aug. 11 to 17. The Agoura Hills Library and all county of Los Angeles library branches will accept all overdue library materials […]

Tea parties benefit Lighthouse Mission



On a recent afternoon in Thousand Oaks a group of women donned feather boas, elbow-length gloves and lace- and straw-filled straw hats and paid a visit to the new Tranquility Tea Room to celebrate the birthday of their friend, Frieda Swedelson of Oak Park. The eight women gathered around a table filled with tea cups and plates, roses and ribbon, […]

Event to benefit Big Brothers/ Big Sisters



Panache Hair Studio will hold a cut-athon from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sun., Aug. 24 at the salon, 2900 Townsgate Road, Ste. 100, Westlake Village. Proceeds from all haircuts will benefit the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of Ventura County. Appointments are recommended. For more information, call (805) 496-7457.