When The Morehead Minute began, the goal was simple: provide Morehead, Rowan County, and our surrounding communities with timely local news and information in a format that is easy to access — and free to our readers.
The response has exceeded anything we could have expected.
In just a few months, thousands of people have followed The Morehead Minute on social media, hundreds have subscribed to this newsletter, and our stories have reached readers throughout Eastern Kentucky.
But as The Morehead Minute has grown, so have the time and costs involved in producing it.
Researching stories, contacting officials and organizations, following developing news, writing and publishing articles, maintaining the website, producing this newsletter and keeping our social media channels updated require a significant investment of time and resources.
Local business sponsorships have helped, and we are extremely grateful to the businesses that have supported us. Unfortunately, sponsorship revenue alone has not yet reached the level necessary to make The Morehead Minute financially sustainable long-term.
What Does It Cost to Produce The Morehead Minute?
The Morehead Minute requires hundreds of dollars each month in technology, internet access, newsletter hosting, website expenses and digital tools used to research, produce and distribute our coverage. And that figure doesn't include compensation for the many hours spent researching, writing, contacting sources, creating graphics, publishing stories and maintaining the publication.
That's why we're exploring whether a modest $5 monthly reader-supported membership could help make The Morehead Minute sustainable for the future.
So before making any decisions about the future, we want to hear from the people who matter most — our readers.
Would you be willing to pay a small monthly amount — perhaps $5 per month — to help support The Morehead Minute and allow us to continue providing local news?
We have not made a decision to begin charging for the newsletter. We are simply trying to determine whether a reader-supported model could realistically work.
And if the answer is no, that's important for us to know too.
Our preference has always been to keep local news accessible to everyone. But we also have to find a way for The Morehead Minute to sustain itself financially if it is going to continue and grow.
If you would be willing to support The Morehead Minute for approximately $5 per month, reply to this email and simply say “YES.”
There is no commitment and we are not asking for payment today. We simply want an accurate idea of how many of our readers would support such a model.
Thank you for reading, subscribing, sharing our stories and helping The Morehead Minute become part of the community.
— Joe Clark
Publisher, The Morehead Minute
[email protected]