Let’s jump straight to some news: Starting this morning, NJ.com is changing the way readers access our “Subscriber Exclusive” content, something we’ve been developing since we started tagging parts five weeks ago.
This means that certain holders, those with the exclusive Subscriber label, will be accompanied by a key icon. These “key” stories will require a subscription to NJ.com, and you must log in to our site to read them. This affects all readers once they access their second subscriber-only article in any 30-day period.
The remaining stories will be free to all readers, so this is not a difficult paywall, as many other publishers have instituted. But it is still a big step for us, and for you, our readers.
We know that the time is not ideal to ask for direct financial support, when so many people are out of work, fighting or helping friends and family. But we can no longer continue to make all of our digital content available for free, as we have since the launch of NJ.com in 1996.
By making this change, we hope to better accelerate paid digital subscriptions, which offset the advertising losses created by the pandemic, and highlight our best stories.
Some subscriber exclusives will receive nice, written stories like this one from last week. Some will be recognized nationally by our peers, like these. And, some will be surveillance journalism that is expensive and difficult to produce, a job that can inform and enrage you, or break your heart.
(If this piece was lost on Sunday, read it and ask yourself: What can we expect from our elected officials if there are no watchdogs? How many more people will have to die? Oh, and what might be their post-tax property bill. pandemic) does it seem?)
You can act now and start your subscription by clicking on this link. In addition to our $ 10 monthly fee, we now offer a discounted $ 100 annual fee, which equals 27 cents a day for more journalism and more journalists here in New Jersey, all working to bring you timely and essential news for you and You family.
As always, we look forward to your comments and questions. We remain committed to serving you better, telling you more about us and how we do our work, and directly addressing your concerns and complaints. Now, here is a look at some other questions you may have:
How many exclusive subscribers will there be each day? It depends. There is no set formula, but we hope to produce at least a dozen of these pieces on most days.
I am already a voluntary digital subscriber but I don’t log in when I visit. How do I register? First of all, thanks for being among our first digital followers! To log in, you will see a face icon in the upper right corner of the website. Click there and enter the email address you registered with and your password. (If you use the NJ.com app, you don’t need to sign in yet.)
I am a newspaper subscriber. What does this mean to me? Thank you again for your support and encouragement. Your print subscription comes with full digital access at no additional cost. You just have to log in to read the subscriber’s exclusive pieces. If you have not registered for your free digital access, visit myaccount.nj.com.
Will it cover subscriber exclusives for the coronavirus pandemic? Some of that, yes, and that’s in line with the number of other publishers that have evolved after all pandemic coverages were initially available for free. With that said, we want all of our readers to have unlimited access to the latest news and immediate public health issues.
Can I give a subscription to a friend or family member? Of course. Just visit our subscription site and complete the checkout process with your email address. You will receive an email to set your private password.
Is there a group rate? Yes. Contact our editors here and we’ll give you details.
Thanks again. This has been a transformative year for all of us in many ways. With your support, we are pleased to continue to produce and improve New Jersey’s best digital report. As always, please contact the editors here if you have any questions or concerns.
Kevin Whitmer is senior vice president of content, expansion and development for NJ Advance Media.
