Changes to The Edge!

Important news about new staff, subscription levels, sponsorship opportunities, and other exciting info

Dear Reader,

In the six months that The Edge has been in operation, we’ve had staggering growth. And that is because of you. Thank you for your tips, questions, comments, and most of all for the gift of your attention.

Since The Edge's founding in late 2024, I've published 6 exclusive reports, including one about squalor in an apartment complex that the City was unaware of until The Edge alerted them. I've had a sit-down with the mayor to tell you his vision for our town. I've told you about a new entertainment bus service in Berea, and broken the news that our local and federal officials are examining whether the Big Hill power line is necessary in its current proposed form. Now, The Edge is diving into the financial woes of Community School.

Value in our reporting

A lot of publications hold their viewership data close to the vest, but I think this is too important to not share with you, since it’s you who made this possible.

In the past month, because of our reliable levels of reporting, we’ve doubled our readership thanks to word-of-mouth, email shares, social media. Since March 16, 2025, The Edge consistently has had more than 50% open rates, and in some cases, 60%! Industry averages range from 15% to 30%, meaning The Edge has been performing minimally at three and a half times better than industry standards, and most likely far better than that.

The Edge also has national and even global reach with readers across the continent, and in Cambodia. I haven’t conducted a survey yet, but perhaps there are such far-flung subscribers who are thinking of moving to Berea, some who used to live in Berea and want to stay in touch, and maybe even folks who just like to read well-reported stories about a region that intrigues them. Maybe it’s parents keeping up on their students at the college. Whoever you are reading this from outside Berea, The Edge is happy to have you here with us!

Our rate of paid subscriptions converted from free subscriptions are also above industry standards. At 13%, we are almost three times the industry rate of 5% of newsletter free subscribers switching to paid.

Clearly, readers of The Edge believe there is value in what we are doing here.

And when I say we, not only am I referring to you as part of The Edge community, but also The Edge advisory board, my colleagues at The Tiny News Collective, and …

Welcome our new reporter!

I am so excited I could burst to tell you that beginning later in May, The Edge will welcome a new reporter fresh out of UK’s College of Communications & Information, Berea native and Community School alumna, Liberty Gilbert. She’ll be covering the municipal beat and writing features.

We also have in the works a podcast, which will go more in-depth about our community with interviews and more slices of life here at The Edge of Appalachia.

And, best of all, we’ll be offering more investigate reporting on land use, education, and other issues important to Bereans as our Comprehensive Plan comes due.

Mission-driven subscription levels

Here’s a fact. Good reporting takes time. Consistently good and reliable reporting takes even more time. And time, as we know, is money. Now that the proof of concept is shown — Bereans and others believe The Edge is a vital source of news and information — we’re going all in and introducing paid subscription tiers.

Because The Edge is mission-driven, all our municipal reporting, Meet Your Municipality columns, and Seen and Heard will remain accessible to all, as will some features. The podcast is slated to be for paid subscribers only.

Investigative report on Community School

All our investigative reporting will now be behind a paywall, as that is the most time intensive reporting we do. Right now, yours truly is finishing up an investigation of the nearly $400K spent on consultants for the Portrait of a Graduate program that was never fully implemented at Berea Community School: Who supported it, was it worth it, what happened to it? Every time I think I’ve finished my reporting, I learn something new. You might be surprised by what I have to share when I publish the story next week.

There are more investigative reports like this still to come.

To sweeten the subscriptions deals, we’ve added some extra features like monthly Ask Me Anything events and reader chat threads to the paid subscription, and also some other perks to the Founders Level subscription. Learn more here:

Announcing paid sponsorships!

If your business or organization needs to reach Bereans online, then your message belongs in The Edge. We now have a media kit for paid online sponsorships. Our rates are competitive, and we guarantee readers will see your services. To learn more, contact me, Whitney McKnight, publisher of The Edge:

Donation drive is lackluster

The Edge is actively seeking grants to underwrite specific reporting schedules, and to underwrite our new reporter. We’ve done pretty well gaining that kind of support so far, but our direct appeal for donations, well — it has netted zero. That might be because I have only mentioned it once. Now, I’m mentioning it twice! It won’t be the last time, either.

While subscriptions are not, donations to The Edge are TAX DEDUCTIBLE. That’s because we are fiscally sponsored by The Tiny News Collective, which is a 501c3 organization overseeing us through their non-profit status.

You can help reverse that sad no-donations trend by visiting our donation page and showing your support in any way possible:

Thank you, Berea. The Edge is all because of you.

Whitney McKnight,
Publisher, The Edge