The Bangor Daily News announced that beginning next week, it would begin charging readers to access the news on its website.

Monthly access to the site will be $7.99 a month, according to a story on the newspaper's website. The first month will be 99 cents. Print subscriptions will include digital access at no cost. E-edition will be included in all subscriptions. A day pass to the site also will be available for 99 cents.

Readers will receive five free stories per 30 days at no charge. If readers register on the site, they will receive eight free stories per 30 days, according to the story.

"As media consumption and advertising habits have shifted dramatically in the digital era, newspapers need to evolve to survive and to grow," Todd Benoit, the BDN's president and COO, said in a statement. "Relying on advertising and print subscriptions is simply not sufficient to support local journalism today."

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