2010-04-15

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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

Summer school is on, but it costs



Budget cutbacks have forced Las Virgenes Unified School District to scuttle free summer school programs, but the Las Virgenes Educational Foundation will offer fee-based summer classes for middle and high school students. The school district has teamed with Marymount College to provide summer classes for children in elementary grades. Extra classes in the summer come at a price for all […]

Local boxer lands knockout punch



Westlake Village resident Audley Harrison stunned the boxing community last weekend with a 12th-round knockout of Michael Sprott to claim the European Boxing Union heavyweight title at Alexandra Palace in London. Harrison, 38, was trailing on all three judges’ scorecards when he sent Sprott to the canvas with a crushing left hook midway through the final round. According to ESPN.com, […]

Former UCLA gridiron great Hicks joins Eagles



Former UCLA and NFL running back Skip Hicks has joined the Oak Park High football coaching staff. Hicks, who played for the Washington Redskins and Tennessee Titans during his four-year NFL career, will work with running backs and defensive backs at OPHS. In other Eagle varsity football news, Michael Thomson has been promoted to offensive coordinator. Thomson has coached on […]

Talented Westlake shoots to the top of Marmonte standings

Boys’ golf update

Carl Spackler of “Caddyshack” lore never won at Augusta, put on the green jacket or shared a whisper with Jim Nantz. He settled for attempting, rather haphazardly, to eradicate varmints at Bushwood, a dump. But local youngsters work toward that dream every day—making it to Augusta, not chasing rodents for a living. The Westlake High boys’ golf team continues to […]

New CIF polls favor Oaks



The latest CIF-Southern Section boys’ tennis poll is out, and Viewpoint is ranked No. 1 in Division 4. Oaks Christian’s boys’ are third in Division 3 tennis. In boys’ volleyball, defending section champion Westlake remains the top team in Division 2. Oak Park, meanwhile, is ranked second in Division 3, followed by Oaks Christian at No. 5. The Eagles beat […]

Westlake All-Stars win at Redwood



Caretakers anonymous



A lovely, young college student, when asked to discuss her relationship with her boyfriend, paused a moment and said, “I think it’s destructive.” She went on to describe him as depressed, possibly suicidal, and said they’d engage in periodic fights that left her “tired.” Sometimes he would tell her she was the reason for his feeling so bad, being unable […]

Unity hosts music festival

Proceeds to aid local charity

Unity of the Oaks Church in Thousand Oaks presents the annual MusicFest Positively Live at 6:30 p.m. Fri., April 16 at the Hillcrest Center 403 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. Musician members of the church and special guests will perform. The event will also have a silent auction and food. The proceeds will go to support the church and a […]

Walk brings awareness to world genocide



Jewish World Watch will host the lagest anti-genocide event in America on Sun., April 18. The Los Angeles event, the fourth annual “Walk to End Genocide,” will begin and end at Warner Center Park in Woodland Hills. Registration will be from 8 to 9 a.m. The walk, which will cover city streets in the West San Fernando Valley, will take […]

Financial health of a church impacts its vitality



A new study on congregational health by Hartford Seminary shows greater spiritual vitality exists in financially healthy congregations. Conversely, the worse the financial health of a congregation, the more likely it is to experience conflict. Thus, money matters in congregational vitality and such matters were getting worse for American congregations even before the recession hit. This is just one of […]