With this week’s edition the price of both the Wrangell Sentinel and Petersburg Pilot increases to $1.50 from the $1 price charged for nearly two decades.
The Sentinel price went from $.75 to $1 in 2000. The Pilot price was last adjusted in 1995.
“We’re producing papers filled with local news produced by staff members that are recognized for the quality of their work each year,” publisher Ron Loesch noted this week.
Just this past year the Sentinel earned four Alaska Press Club honors including 2nd place for Best Weekly, while the Pilot earned three awards including Best Weekly (3rd Place) and a top award for General Excellence from the National Newspaper Association.
At the same time prices for everything from labor, ink and printing supplies have gone up dramatically. Due to 22% tariffs on newsprint taken across the Canadian border, newsprint costs for both newspapers have risen by $167 per metric ton since June 2017 including the 22% tariff that started in March.
Despite the competition from the internet, community newspapers remain the lifeblood of their communities.
“Newspaper editorial pages were the original social media sites for every community during the past centuries since newspapers came on the scene,” Loesch explained.
Newsstand prices for daily newspapers are now reaching 2, 3 and 4 dollars per copy.
Readers can subscribe to either paper and save money. The annual subscription for the Pilot is $52 or $1 per copy, while Sentinel subscribers can sign-on for $46 or $.89 per copy.
Reader Comments(0)