Newcastle Herald connects with digital subscriptions

Visitors to theherald.com.au will be able to subscribe for full website access to the latest news from Newcastle and the Hunter for $3.75 a week.

As announced in August, the new subscription offer will include around-the-clock digital access to all of the local news, sport and opinion published by the Herald, as well as essential community information and the latest national news and sport, plus lifestyle, health and travel advice.

Subscribers will also get access to digital replicas of each day’s print edition of the Herald, so they can read every page of the newspaper on their tablet or desktop.

There’s also the option to receive regular news updates, including breaking-news alerts, by email.

From October 2, theherald.com.au readers who want to subscribe can opt to pay monthly and get the first 30 days of access for free.

Or they can pay for an annual subscription, receive 20 per cent off plus the first month of access for free.

In a message to Herald readers and advertisers, editor Heath Harrison said the introduction of a local news subscription would allow audiences to choose the way they wanted to support the Herald to continue providing its award-winning journalism and community information.

“The Herald’s reporters and photographers are among the best in the country,” Harrison said. “They’re talented, hard-working and absolutely committed to serving their community and their readers, whether that’s covering councils, courts and royal commissions or producing 24-page special editions to celebrate the Jets’ grand final appearance.

“In the past six years, the Herald has collected eight Walkley Awards – the highest accolade in journalism – and was judged the regional newspaper and website of the year for five years in a row. As our audience increasingly reads our local journalism online via their smartphones and tablets, we need to make sure we can continue to deliver the coverage our community expects and deserves.

“By subscribing for full online access, you will be supporting the Herald to continue its mission to deliver the local journalism that keeps our community informed, entertained and connected.”

Some content at theherald.com.au will remain open to all website visitors after October 2, including classified advertisements, such as birth and funeral notices, and recommended articles featuring local businesses.

Visitors can also sign up to have a free newsletter emailed regularly to their inbox.

The website changes will not affect the printed version of the Newcastle Herald, which will continue to be published Monday to Saturday.