The new website for the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin, updated to be more user-friendly and cost effective, launched Tuesday.
(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)
Loading...In keeping pace with accelerated technology and increasingly web-driven readership, the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin has revamped its website.
The paper’s website, which launched today, has been completely redesigned to make it more user-friendly, said Publisher Scott Dunn.
The website has a cleaner, more open look, which makes it easier to look up both current and past stories from the paper. The new site also accommodates viewing on tablets and mobile devices, and automatically resizes for the type of device being used.
However, Dunn said, because of maintenance and upkeep costs, the new site requires a paid subscription for complete access.
“Like other newspapers and magazines across the U.S., the Transcript-Bulletin has determined that it must take a practical business approach,” he said. “We can no longer afford to publish portions or all of our newspaper on the Internet for free. However, because of the significant improvements the new site provides, we feel it’s worth every penny.”
Previously, leading stories, Hometown features, columns, announcements and obituaries were freely accessed on the site. Only the e-Edition PDF version required a paid subscription.
The full paper is now available online — with a subscription. A free 24-hour trial will be given to first-time users, but afterwards access will require a paid subscription.
Readers who currently have a subscription to the physical copy of the Transcript-Bulletin can have access to the site for an additional $3, and subscriptions to just the site itself will also be available. Subscriptions are available on a monthly and yearly basis, and cost about 10 cents per day.
A majority of publications nationwide have converted their websites to some variation of the paywall, from large newspapers like The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, to small non-dailies. Dunn said the paywall is necessary to support costs associated with the website and newspaper.
Work on the new site began in late January by Aaron Gumucio, graphic and web designer for Transcript Bulletin Publishing. He said when customizing the site, usability was at the top of the list. Readers should find its navigational bar, categories and controls more easy to use.
“The user experience is a lot easier for people. It’s easier for them to find what they’re looking for, and to find it more quickly,” Gumucio said. “The old website was less efficient and outdated.”
In addition to the whole current issue being online, also on the site are full-paper, searchable archives going back to 2005. Gumucio said older editions will be continually added to extend the archives as far back as possible. Subscribers are able to access PDF files and print them out in part or in their entirety.
David Bern, editor of the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin, said the new website will help deliver the news to readers more effectively.
“The world is so much more online-driven than when we launched our old website. This new website will help make the paper more accessible to more people, and more easily,” he said. “We know the paywall might be hard to swallow for some, but it’s necessary to cover maintenance costs for the site. It’s just good business sense.”
The new site is reachable at tooeleonline.com, tooeletranscript.com and transcriptbulletin.com. Subscriptions are $37 for an online edition and $40 per year for the online and print editions.
For immediate access to the new website, readers are encouraged to sign up on the actual website. For more information, please call 435-882-0050.
