All Subscribers Day

Support local news reporting by becoming a paid subscriber

Over 18 months, the Sebastopol Times has 2,401 total subscribers and 576 paid subscribers. Help us reach our goal of 600 paid subscribers this month. We celebrate all subscribers but all of you paid subscribers are our patrons and saints.

Be a saint and subscribe! (Not a representative sample of our subscribers!). Image from iStock.

Laura and I started Sebastopol Times in April 2022 because there was no longer a local newspaper or online news about Sebastopol. No one regularly covered the City Council meetings or the school board meetings. We have been doing that and much more, covering local news and events. You can depend on getting “What’s happening in Sebastopol” each Monday, for instance.

Our business model is based on paid subscribers. I want to be completely transparent with you about the operation of Sebastopol Times. Laura and I are the owners of Sebastopol Times. Our monthly expenses are about $3,500. Here’s a basic breakdown of our expenses:

• $2,500 per month for one reporter (Laura).

• $500/month for a one-room office.

• $500/month for freelance writers.

It’s a pretty lean operation. Our annual budget is $45,000, which includes some fees for accounting and tax preparation. Our gross annualized revenue from Substack with 572 subscribers is about $35,000. If more of our free subscribers become paid subscribers, then we can meet our annual budget goal.

Our paid subscribers have told us the reasons why they subscribe to Sebastopol Times. Here are ten of them.

1. "Responsible journalism is important."

2. "Love having local news again."

3. “See, Laura, I promised I would no longer read for free and subscribe. Guilt made me do it.”

4. "It's the right thing to do! And I appreciate your work."

5. "I support and appreciate your efforts to keep me informed about local issues and happenings that I would not know about otherwise."

6. “We believe local journalism is essential to a democratic society and are grateful for the effort to continue this is Sebastopol. Thank you very much.”

7. "Is an important source of information and crucial in maintaining a shared sense of community. Additionally, Laura is doing a bang up job! Thank you. "

8. "I prefer local news as I live in Sebastopol. Thank you for your work. "

9. “Thanks for all you do--your passion, energy, and interest in our Community!”

10. "Believe we need local news and I have been reading free. I need to pay my share."

You can also give the gift of a subscription to Sebastopol Times through this link.

Thank you for reading and thank you for your support.