I could have sworn a topic was already started regarding Bobby Lorton’s upstart, The Tulsa Frontier.
Thus far, I’ve been reasonably impressed with the coverage and he did take some of the World’s best writers. It looks like they have done enough teasing and are ready to start making some cash. So here’s your options:
https://www.readfrontier.com/account-information/membership-levels/Frontier
$30.00 per month
Unlimited access to all content.
Pioneer
$1,000.00 one time charge.
Membership expires after 1 Year.
Pioneer members receive a 12-month membership to all Frontier content, Frontier coffee mug and tote bag and access to future Frontier events and early access to special reports.
So, let’s see:
$360 a year for unlimited access to all content which will probably be distilled in the Whirled or local electronic media
-or-
For the smoking one year membership fee of $1000 you get a coffee mug, tote bag, access to “special events” (What? Like a happy hour?) and early access to special reports. (Like how early access?).
I really don’t get why anyone other than Lorton’s closest buddies would spend $1000 a year for news feed.
It’s a bold move since the news is ad free, but without this being of national interest, I really don’t see how you can make the revenue you need to without advertising. I like what they have done so far, but this almost smacks of the hubris of the Jones boys when they started the Tulsa Sentinel after they sold the Tribune off to the Lortons. AquaMan may remember better than I do, but I don’t think the Sentinel made it a year.
I like to read the stories from the Frontier, but I’m not finding a vast enough product difference to justify spending $30 a month to keep up. I figured it would be $10-$20 a month, tops, and I’d have no problem as that is comparable to a TW subscription.