Warwick Daily News is on the verge of becoming one of the first regional media organisations in this country to install a digital subscription model for online coverage. It's something we think readers will place a great value on when they see our offer.

BEFORE most of the Warwick community had even woken on a July morning this year, the Warwick Daily News had delivered fantastic coverage of snow falling in the region -- for the first time in 30 years.

Our reporters hit the snow-covered grounds by 3am and captured the Granite Belt and Killarney areas as they were turned into winter wonderlands.

Our rolling coverage included hundreds of images of the snow, personal stories of those knee-deep in the action and videos of the snow as it landed.

Our website also carried all the latest critical information about school and road closures, weather updates and the best places to get a piece of the snow action. 

More than 4000 people tuned to our website for our snow coverage, which was also viewed by 25,000 people across Australian Regional Media's Queensland sites.

It was coverage that we are extremely proud of - but it's just an example of what we do every day.

Having seven editorial staff on the ground in Warwick is not cheap. But it's the only way to keep the community properly informed, tell your stories, and make sure you can find out what you need to know.

And now we're asking our readers to share a small proportion of the cost of bringing you this coverage.

From October 20, we will start a digital subscription model for warwickdailynews.com.au, where some readers will be asked to pay for some of the things they read.

Let's be clear on one thing first: We know we're more than just a news source for the region, we're an integral part of the social fabric of Warwick.

That's why no one will be blocked from going to the site and seeing crucial information if they don't want to pay.

Our subscription model will be a metered one, where everyone gets access to 10 free stories a month, before they are asked to pay.

As a reward to our most loyal readers, those who have subscribed to our newspaper and had it home delivered, every print subscriber will get full digital access for free.

For everyone else, the launch offers will be incredible.

For just $5 a week, we'll be offering people six-day home delivery of the printed paper, plus full digital access.

That's a 50% discount for the first three months.

And the added value component for new subscribers is incredible - free access to Brisbane's Courier Mail, access to the Washington Post, and online streaming bonuses.

If, like a minority, you read digital exclusively, we'll be offering full access for just $3 a week for the first three months. And we'll throw in a home-delivered Saturday paper to make it even more attractive.

And remember, anyone who doesn't want to pay will still get those 10 free stories a month.

Our investment in the online space is significant.

We have a new Community Engagement Editor, Virginia Lambert, dedicated to helping you get your stories to our readers. We have invested in the equipment to make sure our people can be the best they can be.

And navigation of the website is even more functional thanks to a new home page to be rolled out next week.

Each section includes a hyperlink header, which will take you to more content in that section.

There has been significant work to bolster our Local Life page on the website, which focuses more on community news, as well as showcasing new photo galleries regularly, including our popular event socials and dining out photos.

You will also find local opinion pieces, readers' stories, weather, local history and event listings.

It's all part of responding to reader feedback. Now we need your support to keep the momentum going.

I look forward to your feedback.

Kerri Moore
Print Editor
Kerri.moore@warwickdailynews.com.au.