Current.org - For People in Public Media / Published at American University School of Communication

Group subscriptions play an important role in giving the public media field a broad-based meeting place for radio and TV, big and small stations and independents, content curators and producers, broadcast or multiplatform or online-only, digital natives and veterans, development and content officers, policymakers, technologists and CFOs.

Since the recession of 2008, Current has stopped setting a minimum number of copies based on staffing, though we may suggest a fair and useful number. As a nonprofit (we are now operated by American University School of Communication) we still need community support. Advertising alone is not adequate to sustain and improve our independent reporting, especially in a small professional community, and we have no guaranteed ongoing grant or university support.

How group subs benefit you and the field

You get a better Current than the for-profit publishing marketplace would provide, at the lowest possible cost per reader. For a relatively small, nonprofit field the size of public broadcasting, the economics of trade publishing ordinarily would dictate a less substantial periodical with a smaller reporting staff or a vastly higher price per copy.

A privately published newsletter serving the field, for example, charges more than $900 a year for a single-copy subscription. And the publisher has repeatedly threatened to prosecute subscribers who photocopy articles from it.

Group subscriptions help change these economic facts of life. You get timely, comprehensive coverage at a lower per-copy price. Discounts start at $59.50 (15% less than our single copy price) and get larger depending on volume.

Your staff — from senior managers to entry level — gets direct access to a professional development resource that keeps them current with their field nationwide.

Why is it important for staffers to read news about the field beyond their station and outside their job description? Current sought to answer the question in 1987:

We think that organizations and institutions achieve most when their leaders and workers have a sense of context and shared purpose. Employees work better when they can see the enterprise in which they’re involved in its broadest terms, and when they can see themselves contributing to larger goals.

Subscribing stations look on Current as an employee benefit that pays dividends to the institution as well.

By supporting a broad circulation of Current — instead of single copies to a few top executives — you benefit the field in several ways. Mid-level and entry-level staffers become more deeply involved in the profession. They draw tips and inspiration from the successes and mistakes of their counterparts elsewhere. And the broader circulation enables Current to sell advertising — which covers most of the publishing costs. This has spared subscribers from increases in subscription prices for most of Current‘s history!

 

What is the price? How many do I need?

Keeping your organization Current is a C level business decision. Your decision to take part in the group subscription program at Current has an impact on everyone in the public media arena—so we ask that you give careful consideration to making an investment in a group subscription to Current for your organization and board.

We recommend that you purchase a group plan that will provide one copy of Current for every 3-4 employees, but you are the best judge of how many your organization needs.

The discounted group pricing is:

2-5 copies-$59.50 per copy

6-15 copies-$52.50 per copy

16-25 copies-$45.50 per copy

26-50 copies-$38.50

50+ copies-$31.50

 

Please call to discuss starting or expanding your group subscription:

Laura Rogers
Business/Circulation Manager
Current
6930 Carroll Ave., Suite 350
Takoma Park, MD 20812
301-270-7240, ext. 38
Fax: 301-270-7241
Email: rogers@current.org