Get Portage County news delivered to your inbox and support local coverage.

 We’re Portage County's locally owned news source.
With your support, we’ll keep you informed about what’s happening in our community. 

Annual

$180.00 USD yearly
SAVE $24 off the normal price by paying annually.

Monthly

$17.00 USD monthly
Our standard plan.

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We believe everyone should have access to local news, regardless of your ability to pay. Or, maybe you can afford to pay more than $17/month to support those who can't. We want everyone to enjoy The Portager, no questions asked.
The Portager's mission is to be a catalyst for ideas and action that help our community thrive. By subscribing to The Portager, you are joining a community of 6,000 people who care about many of the same things you do. 

  • The cost of a subscription is $17/month, but we believe everyone should have access to accurate local news coverage, regardless of their ability to pay. If you can't afford the full cost, feel free to enter any amount. If you can't afford to pay anything, that's OK too. You'll still get access to The Portager, no questions asked. (Free signup is available here.) And if you can pay more than $17/month to help subsidize neighbors who are struggling, we greatly appreciate your support and so do they!
Research shows that communities with strong local news sources have lower taxes, less political polarization, more civic engagement and better economies. Your subscriptions help us pay journalists, cover overhead and grow into a sustainable business. 

What does your subscription get you?

Our popular email newsletter

The Portager newsletter is your five-minute briefing on everything you need to know about what’s happening in Portage County. Written by publisher Ben Wolford, a Waterloo grad, we send out the email to all subscribers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Continuous local coverage

We post multiple updates per day on our website and Facebook page, where you can join in the conversation. We cover every city and township in the county, schools and universities. You’ll also find obituaries, local government coverage, small business news, things to do and ways to help your neighbors.

Give free advertising

As a Portager subscriber, each year you get to give one free newsletter ad to the Portage County small business of your choice. This lets you multiply the impact of your subscription and drive revenue to your favorite locally owned business. (After you subscribe, contact us at ads@theportager.com and let us know which small business you choose.)

Free extras

As a new company, The Portager is constantly experimenting with new perks and products. As a subscriber, you’ll always get free access to these, whether it’s exclusive events or new podcast episodes.

Thank you for your support,
The Portager Team


Frequently asked questions

Where can I see past issues of the newsletter?
Past issues are available here.

How can I make a donation?
We aren't currently accepting one-time donations. But we offer flexible subscription options, and you can cancel anytime.

Where can I sign up for free if I can't afford a subscription?
Register a free account here.

Can I advertise in The Portager?
Yep! Contact ads@theportager.com.

Any other questions, please reach us at editors@theportager.com.