The $1 newsstand price is intentionally subsidized, and subscriptions are what make it possible for the newspaper to exist at all.
Newsstand copies are offered at a low price for people who only need the paper occasionally, including visitors, part-time residents, or those who simply prefer to pick it up when convenient. At $1 per edition, we actually lose money on every copy. We do this to support our advertisers, maintain circulation, and ensure the paper remains accessible as a newspaper of record. But if we relied on newsstand sales alone, there would be no Mountain Eagle.
A subscription, on the other hand, reflects the real cost of producing and delivering a local newspaper. It supports the journalism, the staff, the printing, the delivery routes, and the postage required to get the paper to individual homes and businesses. Subscribers are the people who make it possible for us to continue operating as an independent, locally owned news organization.
Subscribers also receive benefits that newsstand buyers do not:
- Home or business delivery
- Full digital access to the e-edition
- Subscriber-level features on our web platform
- A completely ad-free, tracker-free online experience
- Support for independent local journalism that serves multiple counties
- Friendly and responsive service from our staff who work and reside in our coverage area
We also maintain all of our technology infrastructure locally. Our web platform is 100% custom, built and improved based on community feedback, and we do not sell or share user data. Running our own systems, rather than outsourcing to ad-driven platforms, carries real costs that subscribers help sustain.