2014-07-10

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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

Farewell to teachers, staff at OPUSD




Several teachers and staff members have concluded their long careers in Oak Park Unified School District. At Brookside Elementary School, Cindy Hicks hung up her ruler at the end of the school year after 21 years as a teacher with the district. For the most part, Hicks spent her career at Brookside as a fourth-grade teacher, although she worked a […]

Can’t we just get along?

‘Let’s use some common sense and people don’t have to die on the road,’ bike safety advocate says.


Retired pro cyclist Dave Zabriskie of Westlake Village is on a mission to make roads safer for two wheels. Zabriskie, 35, is a Tour de France veteran and seven-time U.S. National Time Trial champion. Nicknamed “Captain America,” he became the first American cyclist to win stages in all three of the European grand tours in France, Italy and Spain. In […]

All hands on deck for Ventura’s Pirate Days



Grab yer doubloons and set sail to Ventura “Aarghbor” Village for the ninth annual Pirate Days Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat. and Sun., July 19 and 20 at Ventura Harbor Village, 1583 Spinnaker Drive. This year’s theme is “Hook, Jack and Tinker,” featuring a meet and greet with Tinkerbell. New events this year include a pirate wedding […]

Cars, coffee and camaraderie



Conejo Valley Cars and Coffee, a social/conversation group, will meet from 7 to 9 a.m. on the first and third Saturday of the month at The Oaks mall parking lot opposite the Muvico Theaters on Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. Free coffee will be provided. The group is for those who have a classic car, hot rod, exotic vehicle or just […]

The Other Side of 50



Lessons of rock A confession: When I was young, “good” rock ’n’ roll somewhat eluded me. I was born in 1958. I loved songs like The Foundation’s “Build Me Up Buttercup.” Petula Clark’s “Downtown” was also one of my faves and the innocence of early bubblegum rock (The Monkees, The Archies) really stuck to me. But the British invasion (Beatles, […]

Fourth of July event awash in fun



WET ‘N WILD—Above, boaters squirt each other with water during an annual Fourth of July tradition on Westlake Lake in Westlake Village. At left, a teenage captain rights his vessel after passing under the bridge during Westlake Yacht Club’s “Around the Island” race on July 4. It’s the only time during the year that sailboats are allowed to go under […]

LVUSD projects underway




Schools may be out for summer, but Las Virgenes Unified School District is as busy as ever with several major undertakings. At the June 17 board of education meeting, school officials discussed the summer projects that are underway. The biggest project at Agoura High School is the renovation and expansion of the G building, which includes a stage and weight […]

Play reading is out of this world



Teens ages 12 to 18 can read a play out loud, “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily a New Hope” by Ian Doescher, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tues., July 15 at the Westlake Village Library, 31220 Oak Crest Drive. This comedic play retells “Star Wars: Episode IV” in iambic pentameter as if Shakespeare had written it. Everyone will get to […]

At the Library



The Agoura Hills Library will offer the following activities at 29901 Ladyface Court. Books for the book clubs are available at the circulation desk. For more information, call (818) 889-2278 or visit www.colapublib.org/libs/agourahills. Kids from preschool to sixth grade can earn a reward for every four hours of reading. Teens in grades six to 12 can also receive a reward […]

Teachers’ legacy honors peer and reporter




Awards in the name of Sandi Pope and Roberta Consani—two longtime teachers and educational advocates who have retired—were delivered June 4 by the Las Virgenes Educators Association. The association created the Roberta Consani Distinguished Service Award and the Sandi Pope Friend of Education Award last year to honor two women who dedicated their professional lives to students, teachers and education. […]