Dear Readers,

I’m not going to bury the lead: The day of unlimited online access to our journalism is coming to an end for nonsubscribers.

Additional Images

The first installment of Source rolls off the presses on April 3 at the Maine Sunday Telegram’s printing plant in South Portland. The new section is one of many changes that are underway with the business. Tim Greenway/Staff Photographer

want to Talk back?

If you have a question or want to give some feedback, Lisa DeSisto can be contacted at publisher@mainetoday.com or 791-6309.

All of our home-delivery customers will keep getting access to all of our work, whether they’re reading it on a cellphone, tablet, desktop computer or in the newspaper.

But starting Tuesday, readers who don’t have at least a Sunday subscription will be limited to 10 free stories a month.

Why are we doing this?

You’ve probably noticed that we’ve been making a lot of improvements to the Maine Sunday Telegram and the Portland Press Herald over the past two years. We’ve already added great new talent in our newsroom to join the veteran reporters, photographers and editors who are proud to produce the journalism you read every day, both in print and on our websites.

We’ve invested in journalism. And we appreciate the tens of thousands of Mainers who support us by purchasing our papers each day.

Yet while we have been making these investments, we have been giving our product away for free to readers who access our content through digital channels. The revenue we produce from online advertising isn’t enough to sustain our operation. We simply won’t survive if we continue to provide our content for free online.

HITTING THE LIMIT

Starting July 1, nonsubscribers will encounter the paywall after reading 10 free articles in a month. When they hit the limit, they’ll be asked to subscribe. We have an introductory offer of just $1 per month.

After the initial month, the cost will vary based on the package you select, with prices starting as low as $8 per month for a Sunday-only subscription and full digital access. To view subscription options, visit myaccount.pressherald.com/order.

Not all of our content will be behind the paywall. Access to our home page, section fronts, obituaries, photo galleries, video content and our auto, real estate and jobs sections will remain free for everyone.

Let me be very transparent about our motives. We really want you to get our Sunday paper delivered to your home!

The Maine Sunday Telegram continues to carry the majority of our advertising with that healthy pile of retail inserts. Our pricing has been structured to encourage readers to get the Sunday paper. That’s why, while it may seem counterintuitive, a digital-only subscription is more expensive than a digital and Sunday package.

Home delivery customers – whether you get the newspaper every day or just on Sundays – will continue to have free digital access to all of our journalism. All you need to do is obtain a username and password to access the website as well as our e-edition, the electronic replica of the daily paper. To get a login, simply visit myaccount.pressherald.com and follow the easy instructions.

Regular readers will recognize the changes that we’ve made already.

We are especially proud of Source, our new section that covers not only the local food scene but also Mainers’ inherent interest in living more sustainably. I hope you’ve been enjoying it.

Just three weeks ago, we introduced a brand-new www.PressHerald.com. The website has a more contemporary design and a clean, uncluttered presentation. It’s built to work well on your laptop, phone or tablet, and it doesn’t require a separate app to have a great user experience.

ONLINE BENEFIT

Limiting online access may come as a surprise to some readers, but most of you are probably aware that we aren’t the first newspaper to take this step. The Boston Globe introduced a paywall in 2011. More recently, the Sun Journal in Lewiston restricted access to nonsubscribers.

We want our online content to be an added benefit for our subscribers and not something that we just give away. Subscribers can see it all, any way they want – and the more of you there are, the more we’ll be able to do for you.

So enjoy today’s paper. Slow down. Take a break from your device and enjoy the Maine Sunday Telegram at the beach, at camp or on your front porch.

We’re your paper. On behalf of the 420 Maine men and women who work at MaineToday Media, I thank you for letting us inform, entertain and educate you. And thank you for your continued support of our local business.

— Lisa DeSisto is the publisher of the Portland Press Herald, Maine Sunday Telegram, Kennebec Journal of Augusta and Morning Sentinel of Waterville.

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