Bodega Bay Navigator to publish on Web only

The Bodega Bay Navigator, a newspaper that has chronicled the happenings of the Sonoma County coast for nearly 20 years, will become an Internet-only publication July 9.

Joel Hack, owner, publisher and editor of the 1,000 circulation weekly, said the cost of printing the paper and mailing it to far-flung subscribers now exceeds the annual subscription price of $29.95 a year.

By publishing on the Internet, Hack said he would be able to cut the cost of his subscriptions, provide a forum for more community input and continue to print the local news and syndicated features readers are accustomed to.

He said circulation of the Bodega Bay Navigator had been dropping in recent years, a trend he attributed to increased interest in the Internet. He said he decided to switch rather than fight.

"I could feel the loss of circulation over the past couple years, most of it due to the Web. People are using the Internet and they don't have time for a local paper," Hack said.

He said he expected subscriptions to increase with Internet publication, especially from out-of-town readers who will no longer have to pay the cost of postage and shipping.

"I expect more out-of-town readers who have connections to the area, because it will be an easy, cheap and efficient way for them to keep up with the local doings," Hack said.

He said the Internet version of the Navigator also will carry advertising and that he already has lined up several advertisers.

Current subscribers will be switched automatically to Web subscriptions, with bonus issues because of the lower Web publication price, Hack said.

The Navigator carries news of the communities of Bodega Bay, Occidental, Freestone and Valley Ford. Information on the transition from print to Web is online at www.bodegabaynavigator.com.