[As published in March/April BayBuzz magazine.]

Short of going out of business, here’s what an editor dreads most writing about … raising prices! 

But that’s the message I must deliver with this edition, with a bit of history. 

After three or so years of blogging and publication of a free monthly tabloid newspaper, BayBuzz Digest, our very first magazine was published in July 2011. It was free. 

The cover featured John Bostock, then championing a GM Free Hawke’s Bay. Another feature looked at the promise of a revitalised HB Tourism to be led by the newly-installed Annie Dundas. Another looked positively at ‘Cranford Reborn’, after a period of sharp criticism of its former leadership by BayBuzz and others. 

In the same edition, just months after an April ‘weather bomb’ cut off Waimarama and Ocean Beach from the rest of HB, veteran reporter Kathy Webb wrote a feature on HB’s disaster preparedness, from which I quote: 

“If the storm had been centered at the headwaters of the Ngaruroro and Tukituki Rivers, it would have sent a wall of water tumbling down onto the plains, pouring onto farms and spilling over stopbanks that were never designed to cope with such large volumes of water.” Her article goes on to speculate about the hypothetical outcome, describing exactly the devastation that did occur from Cyclone Gabrielle twelve years later. She quoted then-Mayor Lawrence Yule: “It could have been a major disaster.” 

Familiar HB luminaries weighed in on a wide range of topics – Des Ratima, David Trubridge, Rod Drury, Roy Dunningham, Douglas Lloyd Jenkins. Keith Newman reported on how technology might advance our primary sector. I wrote about HB’s two-level economy, one struggling to survive, the other quietly vibrant. 

Paging through that edition, I’m struck but not surprised … the central issues don’t change! And we’re slow learners. 

However, what does change is the cost of everything involved in publishing. And for a printed magazine in particular, the costs of printing and physical distribution (postage costs have soared for subscribers and getting into stores). 

After that first ‘teaser’ edition, we immediately began asking for $50 subscriptions, one size fits all, while still distributing the magazine widely for free pick-up … and influence. 

About ten editions later, we concocted the novel idea of asking readers to pay whatever they thought the magazine was worth, with prompts as to why they (you) might want to pay $50, $30, $15 … or whatever. 

After several editions, the pattern was clear – about half paid $50, nearly half paid $40, with others paying less. It averaged out to $40 a subscriber. 

Eventually, guided by that experience, and with the growing cost of our online efforts, we decided to ‘declare’ our value with firm prices. We did that finally in our September 2021 edition, with a ‘Premium’ offer at $50, ‘Magazine only’ at $40, and ‘Digital only’ at $25. Each of these offered at $10-off discount for first-time subscribers. 

Since then, NZ’s consumer price index has risen about 23%, and printing and postage have not been laggards! Depending on where you live, today it costs BayBuzz as much as $40.98 just to print, let alone write anything, and post the six magazines to you. 

Consequently, with angst, BayBuzz must raise its prices, effective March 1, for its print editions. ‘Digital only’ will remain unchanged for now as we refine our online service. 

BayBuzz ‘Premium’, which includes the six bi-monthly magazines in print plus digital, will cost $60. BayBuzz ‘Magazine Only’, just the six printed mags annually, will cost $50. For those who find this unaffordable, our $25 ‘Digital only’ option gives you the magazine exactly as printed, but online. 

Most publishers would like to make a profit from subscribers. At BayBuzz, we’d be happy to make some margin from our print readers to underwrite our core (and most important) editorial costs. Our advertisers – thankfully – still carry the heavier load for editorial and other costs. 

I hope this sounds fair and reasonable to our print readers. If you are one of those, you need do nothing now, but recognise that your subscription renewal will be charged at the new rates at your next subscription anniversary date. 

Thanks to all you subscribers who have helped carry BayBuzz to this point. As you can see from this brief ‘history’, the issues that need our attention certainly aren’t going away! 

Regards,
Tom Belford

Tom has been a two-term HB Regional Councillor. His past includes the Carter White House, building Ted Turner’s first philanthropic organisation, doing heaps of marketing consulting for major non-profits and corporates.