Subscription Drive Benefits Local Charities

Iron String Press is Putting the Community Back in the Newspaper

COOPERSTOWN

Since its public debut on June 27, readers have had full access to AllOtsego.com, the online home of “The Freeman’s Journal” and “Hometown Oneonta.” The website revamp was long overdue, and readership had declined due to slow response time and an outdated platform.

Today’s AllOtsego.com is visually attractive, easy to navigate, and organized in such a way that both news and advertising content is easy to access. Website analytics suggest the changes have been well received. Web designer Xander Moffat reports that, since its launch, AllOtsego.com has had 42,000 unique visitors to the site and 121,000 total page views—about 1,000 new visitors and 3,000 page views each day, on average.

This week, the paywall goes back up. Visitors to the site receive three complimentary views before being asked to subscribe for one month, six months or annually. After all, Iron String Press Inc.—the parent company for AllOtsego.com and its sister hard-copy publications—is a small, independently owned media group funded entirely by advertising and subscription income.

“In keeping with today’s move toward all things online, Iron String Press is working hard to make sure our readers can access community news the way that suits them best, whether via AllOtsego.com, our two newspapers or on Facebook,” explained General Manager and Senior Editor Darla M. Youngs. “Local journalism is vitally important, now more than ever, but providing this service comes at a cost.”

More than 65 million Americans live in counties with only one local newspaper, or none at all, Youngs pointed out.

“People who hit the paywall and complain that they must pay to continue don’t realize, I guess, that we are a business with expenses that must be paid in order for us to do our job,” reflected Youngs.

According to the Brookings Institution research group, thousands of local newspapers have closed in recent years, leaving millions without a vital source of local news and depriving communities of an institution essential for exposing wrongdoing and encouraging civic engagement. Of those still surviving—including “The Freeman’s Journal,” which is considered the third oldest continuously published weekly newspaper in the nation—many newspapers have laid off reporters, reduced coverage and pulled back circulation.

“We are working hard to keep local journalism alive,” said Publisher Tara Barnwell. “COVID hit our business hard, as it did many others, and we are still recovering and adapting.”

Moving forward, the Iron String Press mantra is “putting the community back into the newspaper.”

“With your support, we continue to offer local, independent reporting that is not influenced by commercial or political ties,” Youngs said. “We are also focusing on covering stories that can be found nowhere else—over the past several months, our readers have enjoyed human interest pieces ranging from the work of a local special effects artist to a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Cannes Film Festival.

“We’ve taken you inside a Madison County courtroom, where two local attorneys argued opposing sides of a controversial construction project, along the parade route of the recent Hall of Fame Induction, and to New York City for the Commissioning Ceremony of the USS Cooperstown. We’ve played a part in making dreams come true, from the man who enjoyed his first ride ever in a Porsche, to helping Swart-Wilcox House Museum secure a barn for its campus,” Youngs continued.

In keeping with its increased community focus, Iron String Press is launching a special this week that allows readers to aid a local charitable organization while supporting local journalism. Annual subscribers to AllOtsego.com and “The Freeman’s Journal” can allocate $5.00 of their subscription fee to one of four participating Otsego County charities—Community Arts Network of Oneonta, Cooperstown Art Association, Helios Care or the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“This company is known for its philanthropic efforts. For more than 100 years, since 1921, we have worked with the Otsego County Department of Social Services to provide Christmas gifts for families who otherwise would have nothing to celebrate,” Barnwell added, “and we have won multiple New York Press Association awards for previous subscription drives that give back to the community. We are committed to continuing those traditions.”

From now through September 30, when the AllOtsego.com paywall message pops up, readers can subscribe to the website at special introductory rates—$3.99 for one month, $3.39 per month for six months, or $2.99 per month for an annual subscription—or to “The Freeman’s Journal” newspaper, which also includes access to AllOtsego.com. When subscribing annually, readers have the option of assisting one of the four participating nonprofit organizations.

“We’re kicking off our summer subscription partnership with four equally deserving nonprofits,” said Youngs. “It’s a win-win-win. Our readers benefit, our business benefits, and our partners benefit. Thank you to our subscribers, old and new, for supporting local journalism and the efforts of these four organizations.”

To learn more, or to subscribe, visit https://www.allotsego.com/summer-subscription-drive/