2015-08-20

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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

Elderly woman smells rip-off



I was going to let this go and write it off as a bad experience I had with a home repair business, but I can’t. I want to warn elderly people like me. A few weeks ago I got up early in the morning, turned on my dishwasher and noticed the mat in front of my sink was wet. After […]

Why widen Agoura Road?



How sad that our elected leaders decided to widen Agoura Road near Kanan Road. This is a complete waste of money because traffic is light most of the time, except on rare occasions when the 101 Freeway backs up. More taxes go down the drain that could have been used for things we really need, like better schools, bigger parks […]

Political Cartoon



Construction-zone speeding



Is Agoura Hills setting up speed traps in the Agoura Road construction zone? I would say yes. I am a big supporter of police. They have a hard and dangerous job. That said, a police officer or sheriff deputy should always behave in a professional manner. A deputy was giving out tickets for speeding in a construction zone where the […]

Shade balls rolled out




The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District released close to 1 million black plastic balls into a recycled water reservoir in Calabasas to protect the supply from contaminants and to prevent evaporation. The 4- inch plastic balls protect the water against dust, algae growth and other chemical reactions caused by the sun, LVMWD associated engineer Eric Schlageter said. The balls were […]

Sheriff’s Blotter



Agoura Hills Burglars caused $ 1,000 in damage breaking a window to get into the Alliance gas station in the 5200 block of Palo Comado Canyon Road Aug. 5. They stole about 50 cartons of cigarettes valued at $3,500. Shoplifters stole $1,300 worth of liquor from the Vons market in the 5600 block of Kanan Road July 31. A thief […]

Couple arrested for pointing laser



Two people visiting friends in Agoura Hills were arrested on Aug. 11 for pointing a laser at a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department helicopter. The helicopter’s flight crew, part of a ground-to-air coordination training exercise in Agoura Hills with deputies from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, reported that a laser had been aimed at the helicopter from the ground at 11:30 […]

Fiction fun



The Acorn’s popular annual fiction writing contest, Fiction in a Nutshell, is now accepting entries in the under-18-year-old and 18-and-over categories. Send your 100-word fiction story to newstip@theacorn.com and include name, age, address and phone number. The deadline is Fri., Aug. 28. A winner will be announced Sept. 10. Remember, 100 words only!

Candidate jump-starts council race




The campaign for Agoura Hills City Council took an early— and harsh—turn last week as Councilmember John Edelston openly admonished city planning commissioner Chris Anstead for a letter to the editor he wrote to The Acorn. Anstead’s letter, printed July 30, criticized the City Council for not annexing 43 acres of unincorporated Los Angeles County land off Liberty Canyon and […]

Haggen grocery loses appetite for business in the area

Company closes three stores, Westlake spared for now


Haggen’s invasion of Southern California has turned into a full-fledged retreat. Less than four months into its SoCal experiment, the embattled Pacific Northwest based grocery chain announced last Friday that it is closing 16 supermarkets in the state, including three in Ventura County, resulting in the potential for hundreds of layoffs. Haggen executives, who saw the company grow from 18 […]