2016-02-04

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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

Fine film honors the U.S. Coast Guard

The Movie Nut

This is a movie that finally rescues itself. It begins slowly, with awkward dialogue and corny sequences setting up a love story. It evolves into a suspenseful tale of adventure, with a hero braving raging seas and hurricane-force winds while his girlfriend waits back home. And, unlike so many movies that do a whole lot of creative imagining around a […]

Middle school jazzed about music fundraiser




Lindero Canyon Middle School’s auditorium will be converted into a jazz club and auction house for Jazz Nite 2016. The fundraiser, which starts at 5:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 17, will benefit the school’s music program, which has more than 400 students enrolled in a number of concert and jazz bands, string ensembles, choirs and combos. The student A and B […]

Chest pain—is it always a heart attack?

COMMENTARY /// Heart health


February is American Heart Month, so expect to see a slew of messages about taking care of your heart. If you consider yourself relatively healthy, you may be tempted to let this information just pass by without paying a lot of attention to it. The reality is that no one is 100 percent immune from heart health issues, including heart […]

Los Robles Hospital earns approval



This year Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks became the first Ventura County hospital to earn The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for its total joint replacement program for hips and knees. This award is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care. Los Robles Hospital underwent an […]

Students receive hands-on lesson in politics and history




History came alive at Oak Hills Elementary School last month when the fifth grade became a township, with Principal Erik Warren as the self-appointed governor and Oak Park Unified School District Superintendent Tony Knight portraying an unfair king. Students learned firsthand about the Boston Tea Party and taxation without representation, and got a lesson in frustration when the politicians didn’t […]

Artistic pursuit



MODERN MICHELANGELO—Chase Carter of Agoura Hills works on a mural designed by Gabe Gault at Conejo Valley High School in Newbury Park Jan. 29. The mural is part of a beautification project by the nonprofit organization Right at Home Art Collective.

Student knows his way around

Wins geography bee

Billy Davis IV, an Academy V student at Oaks Christian School, won the middle school competition of the National Geographic Bee, and a chance at a 50,000 college scholarship from National Geographic. The Oaks Christian School Bee, at which students answered questions on worldwide geography, was the first round in the 28th annual National Geographic Bee. Billy will take a […]

Singers excel in state choir



IN HARMONY—Kayla Gorenstein, left, and Megan Shoaf of the Oak Park High School Choir are finalists in the State Honor Choir. They were selected from among 1,500 students across the state. They will spend a weekend in San Jose preparing for a choral concert Feb. 13 under the direction of Dr. Deanna Joseph, assistant professor at the Georgia State University […]

Information night at academy



Revo Academy, a K-8 gifted learner school, will host a parent information night at 6:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 11 at its site at Temple Etz Chaim, 1080 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. Parents can learn more about Revo Academy programs as well as meet the staff and current academy families. Children can also attend. The curriculum uses an inquiry-based approach. […]

County fair poster contest opens



The Ventura County Fair is having its annual poster contest for Ventura County youth in grades five to 12. Each child who enters will receive a participation ribbon and two fair admission tickets as well as will ride with the Junior Fair Board in the 2016 Ventura County Fair Parade. Awards are $500 first place, $250 second place and $100 […]