“I believe independent local newspapers are the last bastion in written communication,” declared David Cook, longtime publisher and co-owner of the Aspen Daily News. He and Director of Development Megan Tackett introduced a membership model as an option for readers to support the paper just five weeks ago. Based on the community response, locals agree. Cook and Tackett expressed gratitude, relief and excitement in discussing the reception of the move thus far.
“We’ve had 270 members sign up in five weeks,” shared Tackett. “I have been so overwhelmed by the positive feedback we’ve received.” Both Cook and Tackett have nearly two decades of roots within Roaring Fork Valley journalism. Cook’s experience tilts mostly toward publishing and producing print and television media, while Tackett’s background is more on-the-ground journalism. She was one of the early part-time staff reporters for The Sopris Sun and hosted multiple KDNK radio shows from 2017 to 2019. While she stepped away from the journalism world in 2023, she returned to the Daily News in May this year, in large part to support Cook’s vision for protecting and incubating independent journalism.
Membership models aren’t new in journalism, but the addition is something Cook and other Daily News leadership have been evaluating for years. Public radio stations have used membership models for a long time; who hasn’t listened to pledge drive solicitation between music programming or audio reporting? For newspapers, though, this option is a rising alternative to tiered paywalls or replacing local flavor with syndicated content.
To Cook, either of the latter options sound untenable. “Ad-supported media has been going away, the writing has been on the wall for a while now,” he said, referring to changes in the speed of news cycles with the spread of digital media and the decline of print. But restricting content isn’t the answer, in Cook’s view. “News should be accessible to everyone in a community, not blocked by a pay gate.”
A few years ago, Cook reached out to contacts with the Seattle Times about its nonprofit reporting and membership model. He asked himself, “How can I localize this, how can I make this part of our model?” He spent years gathering information and input from other community-centric publishers, all the while “watching the horror stories of news centers collapsing and hedge fund buyouts, and increasing news deserts in the United States.”
Tackett reiterated the thorough consideration. “Cook does his research. He doesn’t do anything without a lot of thought and intention.” In fact, she said, “what brought me back [to the Aspen Daily News] was the clarity of vision for exploring the potential” of voluntary membership contributions.
Even with all that preparation and coaching from other independent publishers, they had to take the leap to find out how a membership model would resonate with the community. The response since the announcement has been encouraging. “The level of gratitude and enthusiasm from the community has been heartwarming,” said Cook.
To Tackett, the way readers have rallied in support “has been incredibly validating.” She sees the response as indication that “we’ve all realized that even in our bubble, journalism is still fragile and must be protected and nourished.” Public endorsements of the model have been especially heartening, because they are voluntary and unsolicited. “I’ve heard lots of positive feedback in passing,” Tackett said, “but the letters to the editor have been especially touching given the extra time and effort it takes people to share their thoughts that way.”
Daily News leadership expected more community questions than they have received in response to the announcement. “I anticipated more questions about us not being a 501(c)(3),” explained Tackett. Aspen Daily News is not converting to a nonprofit, which some papers have done when shifting to a membership model. Daily News membership donations go directly to the paper’s new Journalism Fund, which is fiscally associated with the Tiny News Collective. This makes contributions tax deductible and means that this budget supplements already-covered operating costs; it puts journalistic flesh onto the essential operations skeleton.
The membership model is based on a monthly donation commitment, similar to public radio membership pledging. The tiers for memberships hearken back to Aspen’s mining days, 130 to 150 years ago. Prospectors pledge between $1-14 per month, or $12-168 per year. Silver Seekers, mid-level members, can pledge $15-40 per month. Even the top-tier Smuggler Sentinel membership is less than one-third of a one-day-per-week Aspen Snowmass pass; $41 per month is just $492 per year, and every dollar of that makes a difference for local news.
Given the enthusiastic engagement over the past five weeks, Cook, Tackett and their Daily News colleagues are planning near-term and dreaming long-term how to best implement the Journalism Fund. Cook said, “My dream is to establish a model that is replicable in other communities across the country.”
Tackett, as director of development, is focused on the immediate first. “Accessibility of the website is a big priority,” she said, adding, “I’m developing aspirational budgets for year one and year two for grant applications and larger philanthropic donors.” The community support already received demonstrates value for those bigger applications. Aspen Daily News is also in the process of pursuing B Corp certification as a public benefit company.
To learn more about the Aspen Daily News Journalism Fund, you can visit www.aspendailynews.com/membership
Community support for local journalism has a real impact on the news ecosystem, and is the best way to ensure that discussion of issues remains accessible to the public.