Publisher’s Notebook: New metered website catches up with the times

The meter is running.

By now, you may have encountered our new metered subscription system at www.bizwest.com. (That is, assuming the launch goes off as planned after our press time.) This actually is happening a month later than we planned, as we worked out kinks in the system and engaged in additional communication with our readers in mailed letters to paid print subscribers, emails, online and within these very pages.

The new metered system means visitors to our website still can enjoy free access to our articles, up to a limit. That limit currently is set at eight articles per month, after which readers will need to subscribe in order to access any additional articles that month. We might adjust the limit as we go forward.

Why are we implementing a meter? In short, it’s a sign of the times, and a step embraced by an increasing number of publications large and small, including the New York Times,  Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and others, including some local media.

We believe that the content we produce has value. On some days, our afternoon daily emails — one for the Boulder Valley and one for Northern Colorado — include links to a dozen or more local business-news stories, all generated by our dedicated team of reporters, in a volume that exceeds the business-news output of daily newspapers in our region by a long shot.

BizWest was first to report that UCHealth was partnering with Adeptus Health to build new hospitals in Broomfield and Longmont. We first reported the location of the new Longmont hospital, as well as its name — UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital.

Readers look to us for the inside scoop on commercial real estate deals, including the largest sale in Boulder history, a huge portfolio of properties sold by affiliates of W.W. Reynolds Cos.

But whether it be health care, real estate, banking, high tech, the outdoor industry, natural and organic products, energy or any other sector, our team works hard to bring readers breaking business news, delivered first on our website. Our print edition, too, includes a new look and new content aimed at depth of reporting, as well as geographic coverage.

But producing such content requires new thinking as to how that content is delivered, and what value it holds for readers. With that in mind, our metered subscription model includes the following options:

BizWest Digital Basic

Want to receive all of your business news electronically? The BizWest Digital Basic subscription provides access to our latest online content, along with a replica “Flyp” edition of BizWest. This option costs $29.99 per year.

BizWest PrintPlus

Prefer the best of print and online? The BizWest PrintPlus subscription provides exactly that: the print newspaper delivered right to your mailbox, along with access to our robust online offerings and every one of our annual industry directories, including the Book of Lists. We’ve priced this at $59.99 per year.

BizWest Unlimited

Many of our readers go far beyond the norm in their engagement and thirst for business intelligence, seeking not only breaking business news and analysis but also the latest lists, directories and economic statistics. BizWest Unlimited was crafted with those readers in mind. With this package, priced at $299.99 per year, you get:

• A print subscription to the biweekly BizWest and all of our annual industry directories, including the Book of Lists.

• Complete access to the BizWest archives, including tens of thousands of articles dating back decades.

• A full subscription to the BizWest Data Store, including the ability to download our Book of Lists or one of our many industry directories. Lists can be downloaded in pdf or Microsoft Excel format — all at no additional charge.

We hope you continue to explore www.bizwest.com, as well as our print edition. As always, we look forward to your feedback.

Christopher Wood can be reached at 303-630-1942, 970-232-3133 or cwood@bizwestmedia.com.

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