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By PAUL TASH
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 9, 2001
Starting next Monday -- a week from today -- the price of a single copy of the daily St. Petersburg Times will be 35 cents in Pinellas, west Pasco and Manatee counties.
We do not rush to this decision; it has been 17 years since we last raised the price of the daily paper -- to a quarter. If the price of the daily Times had kept pace with inflation since 1984, it would now be 43 cents.
Most of our readers will see no effect from this decision. It does not change the rates for home-delivery, so single-copy buyers can avoid the higher price by becoming subscribers.
And we are leaving the price of the daily Times at 25 cents in some areas: Hillsborough, east Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. The Times continues to build its audience in those counties as it increasingly becomes the leading newspaper throughout the Tampa Bay region.
In all areas, the price of the Sunday newspaper remains unchanged.
We announce the price increase today so that our affected single-copy buyers have a week's notice before they'll need an extra dime at the vending machine.
Even at the new price, we believe the Times will give readers exceptional value for their money and time. We bill ourselves as "Florida's Best Newspaper," and our commitment to quality is more than just a slogan. We are always looking for ways to make the Times better, and we will introduce more improvements in the coming weeks -- starting with a new daily page devoted to entertainment and the arts.
-- Paul Tash, Editor & president