Orange County’s daily newspapers are raising their subscription rates as part of an overall push to offset rising operating expenses.
As of Jan. 1, The Los Angeles Times started charging OC readers 20 cents more for daily, home-delivered service, taking the rate from $3.40 to $3.60 per week. Times readers in portions of Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Barbara and San Diego counties are seeing a rise of 36 cents ,or $4.50 per week instead of $4.14.
There are no increases in single-copy or Sunday-only papers. The Times’ last subscription rate increase was in 1996, when OC rates went from $3.28 to $3.40 per week.
The Orange County Register also is increasing rates. Starting this week, the county’s largest newspaper is increasing its Monday through Sunday home delivery rate (excluding single-copy sales) by 28 cents, bringing the subscription price to $3.22 from $2.94. The change follows a weekly subscription hike of 21 cents that hit last April.
“We raised our price because we’re offering our readers more value, and because our costs for labor and materials have gone up,” said Chris Anderson, the Register’s publisher and chief executive.
The Times is dealing with similar issues. Mike Lange, director of communications, said the Times increased subscription prices to counter higher costs involved with operations, distribution and newsprint.
“The rise has been felt over the past four to five years,” Lange said.
The subscription changes are the latest in a series of moves to boost profits by both papers. Last year, the Times pared down local coverage in favor of more regional, national and global news. The paper shut down its Our Times block-by-block news section, cutting 170 jobs and 14 Our Times sections in Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Meanwhile, over the course of last year the Register eliminated about 130 positions in a bid to modernize operations and cut costs.
The Orange County Business Journal also raised its rates this year, to $89 per year from $74. n
