Changes to
If you’ve been reading the
Clearwater Tribune over the past few
weeks, you’ll know that we’re going to begin charging for access to portions of
our website,
www.clearwatertribune.com, beginning
with the Aug. 19 issue.
These changes will not affect
the print version of the Clearwater Tribune. It will still be delivered to stores Wednesday
afternoon and mailed out to subscribers every Thursday morning. The prices for
print only subscriptions are not changing.
Free content
Not all content will require
payment in order to be accessed. Still free to view will be select article
headlines, late-breaking news, obituaries, legal notices, classified ads, Rex
Theater show times, Quote of the Week, weather, the online poll, the
Commissioners’ Proceedings agenda, Helpful Links, and the Community Calendar.
Also free to view will be each week’s entire front page.
When the changes take effect
we will begin posting our special editions (graduation, fair days, and vacation
guide) online, and those will be free to view.
Free content will be updated
every Thursday.
Paid content
The paid portions of
Clearwater Tribune Online will be a
PDF of each week’s complete issue, archives beginning with the Aug. 19 edition,
and a brand new page called Online Only News.
Each week’s entire issue of
the Clearwater Tribune will be posted
online every Wednesday evening. At present we do not put every news item, photo,
and ad online.
The complete issue will open
as an Adobe PDF. Once it is posted, online subscribers will be able to see and
search through every article, photo, and ad.
You must have Adobe Acrobat
Reader, which is a free program, installed on your computer to view the PDF.
Most computers come with Adobe Reader already installed. The latest version can
be downloaded for free at get.adobe.com/reader.
If you’re not sure you have
Adobe Reader installed, try opening the online update ads currently posted on
our homepage. You can also try each week’s front page (beginning Aug. 19), which
will also be in PDF format. If these items open on your computer, you should be
able to open each week’s complete issue.
High speed internet is
recommended, as the PDF will open more quickly with a faster internet
connection.
The Online Only News page,
also part of the paid access, will feature daily updates of news and editorials
on a wide variety of topics that we don’t have room for in the print version.
Many will not be particular to
Beginning with the Aug. 19
issue, archives will require paid access in order to be viewed. Archives posted
prior to Aug. 19 will remain free.
Free preview
On Thursday, Aug. 12, a
complete PDF version of that week’s issue will be posted online, and can be
viewed absolutely free of charge.
Types of subscriptions
We are now offering three
types of subscriptions: online only, print only, or combo.
Print only
Print only subscriptions are
what all subscribers currently have. The paper will be sent to you in the mail.
The prices are not changing; they remain (per year) $38 regular and $33 senior
rate for Clearwater County, Peck, and Lenore, and $46 regular and $43 senior
rate in all other areas of the U.S. Print only subscribers may visit our website
and view all free content, but will not have access to the paid parts.
If you do not visit our
website and wish only to receive the Clearwater Tribune in the mail, stick with your print only
subscription. No action is required on your part.
Redesigned renewal cards will
go out beginning at the end of August. When your paper comes due, be sure to use
the rates under the print only column on the left, so that you don’t pay for
something you don’t want.
Online only
Online only subscriptions give
you complete access to the paid portions of
Clearwater Tribune Online. The paper
will not be mailed to you.
For less than 80 cents per
week you will be able to view online an electronic replica of each week’s entire
newspaper, and do so as early as Wednesday evening. You will also have access to
PDF issue archives beginning Aug. 19, and be able to view the frequently updated
Online Only News page.
You may sign up for an online
only subscription at clearwatertribune.com once paid access takes affect
Aug. 19. Your e-mail address will be your username, and the password is of your
choosing.
PayPal securely processes all
payments. If you have a PayPal account, you may pay that way, but it is not
required. If you do not wish to use PayPal or don’t have an account with them,
all major credit and debit cards are accepted.
Online only subscriptions cost
$40 for one year, $30 for nine months, $20 for six months, or $10 for three
months. At this time we do not offer two-year online only subscriptions, but may
do so later on.
After you sign up online, you
will receive a confirmation e-mail with details about your subscription. Please
save this e-mail for future reference.
To finalize the subscription,
you will need to click on the confirmation link in the e-mail. Once that is
done, your e-mail username and password will give you access to our website’s
paid portions.
Online only subscriptions
renew automatically, so if you do not wish to renew, you must cancel the
subscription before the renewal date. For example, if you sign up
If the automatic renewal
occurs and you did not wish to renew, contact us at
Combo subscriptions
Combo subscriptions are for
readers who want to receive the paper in the mail and view the paid access parts
of clearwatertribune.com.
Initially, those who want a
combo subscription will need to e-mail us at
cleartribsubs@cebridge.net and let us know. We will need the name and
address your subscription is under (if you currently subscribe), the e-mail
address and password you wish to use for online access, and your preferred
method of payment.
If there are less than six
months left on your subscription (as of Aug. 19), you may sign up for our online
paper at no extra charge, but when your subscription is up for renewal, you must
renew at the combo rate to keep your online access.
If six months or more remain
on your subscription, we ask that you pay a few dollars to obtain online access.
The amount will depend on how many months remain on your subscription, and when
you contact us, we will look that up for you.
New renewal cards that include
combo subscription rates will be mailed out beginning at the end of August. You
may also renew at the combo rate at that time. For as long as you renew at the
combo rate, your online account will remain active.
On one side of the card will
be a place for your e-mail address. It is very important that you include this,
so we may e-mail you brief, simple instructions on getting signed up for our
website’s paid content.
More benefits
Not only will you be able to
read the entire paper online at early as Wednesday evening, but we do not put
restrictions on how many computers can access our online paid content using the
same login information. Share with family members, co-workers, or employees.
If you’re an advertiser, know
that your ad will automatically go online, whether it’s a thank you, birthday
wishes, or for a business.
Photos in the complete PDF
will be in color. They, along with news articles and ads, can be copied from the
PDF.
Each week’s complete issue can
be saved to your home computer, and from there, can be searched using Adobe
Reader’s helpful search feature in the Edit menu. Create your own archives and
search them anytime you want.