The best things in life are free

There’s a much-covered old song that goes, “The best things in life are free, but you can give them to the birds and bees. I want money. I want money. That’s what I want.”

Let’s face it, we could all use some more money. But as the songs states, the best things in life are free. At The Sun, we are committed to serving up our news for free*, following in the footsteps of our founder, Bill Hammett. Bill believed – and still believes – that Sonoma needs a free community newspaper. His idea was big and bold and something that our town hadn’t experienced in years. He gathered a team and began publishing The Sun to give local news a fresh outlook.

In today’s competitive media market, where news is available for free at the touch of a fingertip, there are any number of ways to get the information you need. Upon encountering a web site that expects you to pay for an article, a simple button click can get you the same information for free. Social media like Facebook and Twitter are constant sources of free information, both formally and informally.

While we agree that, at the advent of the Internet, media outlets missed the boat by literally giving the news away, undoing that now is next to impossible. If The New York Times can’t get away with charging for online news, who are we to say that we can?

At The Sun, both the paper and online editions – sonomasun.com – of our news will remain free. You can pick us up at dozens of locations around Sonoma – 10 of which are on the Plaza – and enjoy your morning coffee and free local news at the same time.

We appreciate and rely on our advertisers to help us pay our bills and continue to print our paper. And while we may not be getting rich, we’re providing an important community service – a different viewpoint. Just as our town has more than one gas station, restaurant or coffee shop, so should there be more than one way to get local news. The Sun offers a different spin on the goings-on in Sonoma. And while we may be the newer kid on the block, our print and online coverage has clearly become a valued asset to the community over the course of the past five-plus years. From football games to personnel changes, nonprofit events to breaking news items, The Sun’s motto of Warmth, Light, Truth prevails.

As the new owners of The Sun we are proud to follow our founder’s lead and will continue to bring you our version of the news – for free.

*Home delivery of The Sun is available for a fee.