News

January 7, 2022

Times Union Exceeds 30K Digital-Only Subscribers Amid Overall Growth in Paid Readership

The Times Union in Albany, N.Y. announced that it has surpassed 30,000 digital-only subscribers. Notably, the surge in paid digital readership has contributed to an overall increase in the paper’s subscription base and reach, combining print and online, in the past year.

Beyond improving the user experience on its website and mobile app, the Times Union has made several recent investments in its journalism. The paper has increased newsroom staff, doubled down on investigative reporting, and expanded its footprint into the Hudson Valley and Catskills. The Times Union, a Hearst newspaper, also ramped up its data reporting capabilities.

“Local journalism matters. It informs, enforces accountability and, when appropriate, entertains. The type of impactful watchdog reporting that we do at the Times Union wouldn’t be possible without our subscribers,” said Casey Seiler, editor-in-chief of the Times Union. “We take the trust of our readers seriously, and the resources they provide by subscribing are being put to good use.”

The Times Union received acclaim in 2021 for its dogged reporting into former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, breaking stories on the administration’s priority COVID-19 testing program for VIPs; allegations that Cuomo groped a female aide at the Executive Mansion; and his meddling in the affairs of his protective detail.

Other Times Union exclusives included the cover-up of a whistleblower’s concerns about the structural integrity of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge; audio of SUNY’s chancellor berating an employee during his tenure leading the Rockefeller Institute; and an ongoing series into deficiencies in New York’s Family Court system that led to a call for reforms.

The investments in digital presentation, data analysis and investigative reporting were on full display in December, when the Times Union published a sobering special report on the structural soundness of New York’s 7,200-plus dams. The project included an interactive map, through which readers statewide could find the dams in their communities and view information on its condition and the date of its most recent inspection.

“Our job is to provide the best possible report on what’s happening. Every day, without fail,” Seiler said. “The Times Union will continue investing in — and producing — trusted local journalism, backed by the support of our readers.”