There are not enough subscribers for The Munising Beacon to go to print on June 2. The subscription drive over the last month has only gathered half of the necessary subscriptions needed to offset the high costs and logistical challenges of bringing a newspaper back to the area.

“Due to lack of printing presses in the Upper Peninsula, we have to have enough subscribers to guarantee that we can print the minimum amount of copies required by the printers and ship the newspaper to Alger County,” Beacon reporter Brice Burge said. “The demand has to match the desire of the people and available production capabilities equally to get this done. Unfortunately, we aren’t there yet.”

Despite not making the goal, The Munising Beacon is still pursuing a print product. We will continue to work towards the necessary goal, with the objective of beginning printing a newspaper in June, early July at the latest. More subscriber events will take place in different locations to help raise that number with times and dates to be announced shortly.

Those that have signed up for a subscription will not be charged until we begin printing. Subscription submissions are still valid as the drive continues, so there is no need to re-sign up.

Local staff are asking people to continue talking about The Munising Beacon, specifically with those not known for being online or for seasonal residents returning to the area for the summer. Conversation between coffee clutches, card nights and other activities is key for the success of the subscription drive.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have the ability to rely on returning customers or Christmas gift sales drives when starting brand new like this. And while we have support of local business owners willing to put The Munising Beacon in their stores, we still need to get enough subscribers first for rack sales to be an option,” Burge said.

For those with any further questions, please email subscribers@ munisingbeacon.com or call (906) 207-1899 ext. 3 and leave a voicemail.