During the last six months, the Church News has been available on the World Wide Web. Through the Internet, Church members have been able to receive all of the text and photos from each edition of the Church News online by 8 a.m. MST each Saturday.
The Church News, which is produced by the Deseret News, has been available on the World Wide Web since January at the following Internet address:(http://www.desnews.com/cn/home.htm).
As of July 20, this access will be restricted to Church News and Deseret News subscribers only.
Under existing policies of the Deseret News, the Church News is available in most areas of Utah only through the daily paper. This policy also applies to the Church News on the World Wide Web. After July 20, only Deseret News subscribers in the circulation area of the paper in Utah, and Church News subscribers outside that area, will be able to receive the internet version of the Church News free.
Non-subscribers of the Church News in areas where the Deseret News does not circulate may subscribe to the online version of the Church News for $18 (U.S. or equivalent) a year. Those subscribing to the online version of the Church News in the United States and Canada will be given the option of receiving the printed version of the Church News at no extra cost.
The World Wide Web is a wonderful delivery vehicle for the Church News, said Stewart Shelline, Deseret News information services director. Online stories and photos can be printed, searched and saved to disk. The World Wide Web, he explained, offers Church News subscribers other advantages:
Immediacy: The Internet makes the Church News available to every reader at the same time. "I found today the Church News online was a fun way to see the Church News the same day you in Utah see it," wrote one subscriber in an e-mail message. "Here in Mesa, Arizona, we don't usually get our copy [by mail] until Tuesday or Wednesday."
Shelline noted that the World Wide Web can take the Church News to members outside of United States considerably faster than they could receive it by mail.
Cost: Shelline also said that this system makes it possible to offer the Church News to many international members of the Church at a lower cost. (Because postage differs throughout the world, so does the cost of receiving the printed version of the Church News.) Now Church members all over the world can receive the online version for $18 (U.S. currency) a year.
Other features: The Church News staff plans to continue adding features that can be accessed on the Internet. Currently Church News subscribers will have access, through the World Wide Web, to the publication's archives. Shelline indicated that in time, special features such as the Deseret News Church Almanac will also be available at the site.
One subscriber, in an e-mail message, told of how helpful access to past Church News editions has been to him. "I especially like how I am able to link to related stories after I have read one," he wrote. "If I am researching a topic you have the additional resources right there."
Subscribers to the Deseret News and Church News who live in the United States and Canada are able to gain access to the site by typing in their Newspaper Agency Corp. billing number (found on the NAC bill for Deseret News subscribers) or their Church News account number (found on the Church News label for subscribers outside of Utah). Subscribers who live outside the United States or Canada will need to send their latest mailing label to the Deseret News, Box 1257, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110 to receive an account number.
Subscribers who do not know their account number or need assistance connecting to the Internet version of the Church News may call 1-800-710-7141 or (801) 237-2135. Complete instructions to register for the online Church News are available at the web site - where members may also order an online subscription using a credit card.