An update on our progress toward regular weekly print delivery

We’ve made significant progress toward the launch of weekly print home delivery, and we’re targeting the week of Dec. 4 to begin mailings.

Below you’ll find information about our progress, next steps and what to do if you already paid for a print subscription and wondering where your papers are.

Already, The Portager is reaching new subscribers who had never heard of us and who would never have read the news online. This tells me we made the right decision. Increasing access to local news is the most important thing.

Lately, we’ve made several steps to get us closer to launch:

We selected a designer who will manage print production. You already know her — my sister and our managing editor, Natalie Wolford. This is the most important step we’ve made because choosing the right person here is crucial. I’m very happy Natalie agreed to take on this role because she will not have any learning curve when it comes to The Portager’s mission and style.
We’ve updated The Portager plan names to simplify our messaging and allow for better communication about which plan gets you newspaper delivery. The only thing changing for now is the plan names. Learn about Free, Plus and Premium plans here.
We’ve also updated our pricing for print ads, classifieds and obits. You can find those details here.

As much as I wanted to start sending weekly papers before Thanksgiving, there are still too many logistical issues to resolve. I want to make sure we get the best print and distribution rates, and I would like to line up a few more regular advertisers to give us a longer financial runway. We’re still waiting for quotes and selecting a mailhouse vendor.

Once those items are squared away, we can begin.

I know some of you have already sent checks or paid by card to begin newspaper delivery, and you’re wondering where your papers are. I apologize for the delay. Here’s how we’re handling new subscriptions in these cases.

If you sent me a check, I’m holding off on processing it until closer to the true launch date. There’s nothing you need to do.

If you already paid by card, and the print edition is the only thing you care about, please contact me at [email protected]. I’ll issue you a partial refund for the weeks between your plan start date and the first weekly edition. If you’re happy with the digital side of your Premium subscription, then we’ll apply the balance of your payment toward our startup costs (over 75% of our revenue goes directly to journalists).