2010-04-29

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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

Townsend race-walks to victory



Julia Townsend of the Westlake Track Club won the 5,000-meter race walk at the U.S. Youth Olympic Trials in Arlington, Texas, on April 3. Townsend completed the race in a personal record time of 30:29.61. The youngster, a junior at Louisville High in Woodland Hills, hopes to qualify for the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

Water polo players honored



The CIF-Southern Section has recognized the top girls’ water polo players and coaches from the 2010 winter season. Rio Mesa High, which was a runner-up in the Division 4 title game for the second straight year and finished 26-7 overall, received postseason hardware for its strong season. Spartans Courtney Walters, Jenny Jamison and Andrea Mallul are All-CIF Division 4 first-team […]

Great 8 for Oak Park lacrosse club



Brittany Stalzer, Robin Estrin and Sommer Kobashigawa each scored multiple goals as the Oak Park girls’ lacrosse club powered past El Segundo, 15-6, for its eighth win in as many games. Stalzer led the way for the Eagles’ multipronged attack with five goals and two assists. Estrin also had a pair of assists to go with four goals. Kobashigawa returned […]

Records in peril at county championships



Local student-athletes look forward to the Ventura County Track and Field Championships every year. This year is no exception. “It’s the one and only time the best Ventura County athletes compete against each other,” Moorpark High athletic director and track coach Rob Dearborn said. “It’s a great meet.” The yearly bonanza takes place Friday at Moorpark High. Most field events […]

And down the stretch they come . . .

Marmonte baseball report

This could be the greatest dogfight since Hollywood was shot down at the tail end of “Top Gun.” The Marmonte League baseball season has reached its home stretch, and several teams are jockeying for playoff positioning. Others are fighting for their postseason lives. Entering the week—each squad played Wednesday but scores weren’t available at press time—Royal had a two-game advantage […]

Patients learn to cope with celiac disease



Henry Grunzweig had suffered from stomachaches his entire life. Doctor after doctor couldn’t pinpoint the cause, and by the time he entered high school, the Woodland Hills resident was missing weeks of class for seemingly no good reason. “I’d have terrible stomachaches for weeks with symptoms of food poisoning,” Henry said. “No one really knew what it was. People were […]

Church choirs gather in T.O.



The National Association of Church Musicians will host a choir festival at 4 p.m. Sun., May 2 at Ascension Lutheran Church, 1600 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. Church choirs from Burbank to Santa Ynez will be participating. The guest conductor for the massed choir anthems will be Dr. Michael Shasberger from Westmont College in Santa Barbara.  A freewill offering will […]

The anatomy of anger



“Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” — Ambrose Bierce Over the years I have become an avid student of energy and how it moves. What I have discovered is that as human beings, not only do we consist of pure energy, we are also conduits through which it flows. Once […]

Celebrating the Calabasas rancho history



Westlake High to host jazz festival



The Westlake High School Instrumental Music Department will host its annual Jazz Festival from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat., May 8 at the high school, 100 N. Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village. The festival will feature performances by local middle and high school jazz bands and combos. Prominent area musical educators will judge the groups. Tickets are $7. Children […]