Dear readers,
When I bought the Chilkat Valley News last year, we went through the books and realized that our subscription rates had held steady for the previous six years. During that time, our local subscriber postage rates went up by 34%, our out-of-town mailing costs went up by 41%, and freight costs to fly the paper in went up by 55%. Our printing costs will have gone up by just under 20% through this year.
With the understanding that many of you are going through financial difficulties of your own, we decided to break our rate increase up over a two-year period. Here is what that second increase looks like: For those of you who have not already renewed, starting on May 23:
At the counter: $1.75
If you’re a print subscriber:
Second class mail (lower 48)
- $77 + tax
First class mail
- $115 + tax
Local
- $54 + tax
Alaska (and seasonal)
- $71 + tax
I firmly believe that this rate increase is the only responsible choice as we strive to build a sustainable news organization that will last long after I am gone. My goal is to stabilize our news operation and position it for sustainable success in the future.
Please know that we are actively seeking other sources of revenue to keep this news operation whole. We went through a sustainability audit with LION Publishers, a professional association for independent news publishers, last year and got a grant at the end of that process to help streamline our digital operation among, other things. This year, we got a grant from the Alaska News Coalition to launch a newsletter, which I’m excited to debut soon.
We welcome your feedback and ideas. If you know someone who could use a subscription but can’t afford one — consider a gift subscription. And, we’re still looking for that millionaire who loves good, local journalism — get in touch!
Thank you for reading and subscribing. Your continued support is invaluable and helps us tell the stories of the Chilkat Valley.
Rashah McChesney, Owner, Chilkat Valley News