After months of thoughtful deliberation, rrspin.com will implement a $10 yearly subscription plan beginning August 1.

There will also be a $1 fee for one-time 24-hour access beginning on August 1. Beginning July 5 readers for the remainder of the month can take advantage of a $7 yearly special before the $10 subscription plan takes effect.

Several factors brought me to this decision. 

The first is I simply need help — I’m an experienced and qualified journalist who also serves as the publication’s only reporter, its publisher and ad sales manager.

I want rrspin’s presence and coverage to grow but I can’t continue to do it alone.

Secondly, while I’m grateful for my loyal readers and steady advertisers, the revenues fall short of funding another staff person and in anticipation of this slot becoming reality one day, I’ve had a job description written for some time.

I am also contemplating a staff person to lead sales, a task that has proven more difficult than I expected.

Subscriptions will make staff salary and benefits a more realistic goal.

I started this website as a means to give the Roanoke Valley an alternative news source.

This is my home as it is yours — and I want to offer a quality product that captures and celebrates our community — its milestones, its heartaches and its victories.

In the nearly 14 years since I began this website and managed it, the rrspin brand has grown in recognition and respect.

It is a news outlet  that values old-fashioned journalism and believes that being first is less important than being right.

The reality of rrspin is it is a business, a medium to help me make a living through my years of experience as a community journalist. However, even a digital platform that operates on a lean budget still requires financial sustenance.

At the onset of the Oklahoma City Bombing which occurred during the formative years of the world wide web, I realized the power of the internet for news much like Edward R. Murrow saw it in the power of television.

I truly appreciate the support of my readers since rrspin’s debut in 2009.

Please know this change is a strategic business plan so I can continue to deliver news of the Roanoke Valley and beyond.

I want to grow this publication — likely with a seasoned reporter and sportswriter to start — as I strive to maintain quality coverage at an affordable price — Lance Martin