Starting today, Wednesday, March 6, The Fountain Hills Times will implement a subscription rate increase of $5; moving from the previous $42 for local home/business delivery to $47 per year.

According to publisher Brent Cruikshank, this increase was necessary to keep up with the cost of producing the weekly publication. At the same time, he noted that the extra cost will include additional benefits.

“Our last rate increase was six years ago and, in that time, everything from the cost of printing to the cost of shipping has gone up,” Cruikshank said. “Our new subscription price is still a savings and, thanks to our recent changes online, we’ll be able to provide even more ways for our subscribers to get their local news.”

As Cruikshank explained, The Times has decided to house all versions of the publication under a single subscription package.

“We want our subscribers to have access to everything we provide for a single price,” Cruikshank said. “That’s why, moving forward, a subscription will not only include delivery of the paper, but it will also grant unlimited access to our website at fhtimes.com, which includes the digital e-edition of the paper.”

Cruikshank noted that, for subscribers who do not wish to receive a physical paper, they can simply ask not to have one delivered when signing up or renewing their subscription. And for those who prefer to simply read the physical paper, they may choose to ignore the benefits of the website and e-edition altogether.

“No matter how you want to get your local news, we want to provide all of it for a single subscription,” Cruikshank said. “We feel it’s the best, fairest way to provide for our readers, advertisers and community.”

Website

As announced earlier this year, the website at fhtimes.com is moving to a metered model in early February. The majority of stories that run in the newspaper will now be available online, as well as any breaking stories that pop up throughout the week.

Subscribers will be able to log on to the website and access all of these stories at no additional cost to their regular subscription.

For those who prefer to get the news solely through the website, a cost of $5 per 30-day period will be offered after a set number of articles has been read each month. For those who choose to go this route, the e-edition of the paper is also included in that $5 charge.

Packages

As noted above, all subscriptions and renewals moving forward will include the print edition of the paper and unlimited access to online features. The cost for local home/business delivery subscribers will be $47.

For those having the paper mailed outside of Fountain Hills, the annual subscription package will be $75.

For those who will be in town for a limited time and do not wish to subscribe for a full year, the pricing will be $25 for six-month local home/business delivery or $13 for three months. Otherwise, deliveries can be scheduled locally for $1 per week.

While holds for home delivery may still be requested, those weeks away cannot be used to extend a subscription.

Logging on

As a final note, anyone who currently subscribes to The Times is eligible for immediate access to the online benefits that will be included in subscriptions moving forward.

Current subscribers who wish to take advantage of those features may write to tammie@fhtimes.com to get set up. Your name, address, phone number and email address are needed to set up the account. That information will never be utilized for any purpose other than to set up the online account. Those who already have an account should be able to log on and enjoy the content at fhtimes.com. If you encounter any issues, please email the address listed above.

“We ask for everyone’s patience as we make this transition and work to get the news out to our community in more ways than ever before,” Cruikshank said. “If you have any questions, please feel free to call the office.”

The Fountain Hills Times can be reached at 480-837-1925.