Membership
Keep Arkansas news independent.
Arkansas Breaking News is free to read and it is going to stay that way. Your membership goes toward newsroom staffing, so there are more reporters making Arkansas better informed, and in return you get the things we gather that never make a headline.
Secure checkout by Stripe. Monthly or yearly. Cancel any time.
What your membership pays for
People
Newsroom staffing
Membership money goes toward reporters and editors. More people in the newsroom means more of Arkansas covered, and a better-informed state.
Free
No paywall on the news
Every story on the site stays open to everyone. Members fund it; nobody is locked out of it.
Records
Documents, court records and radio
Affidavits, filings, public records requests and round-the-clock scanner monitoring cost money and time. That is where the rest goes.
Members only
The scanner board
Every hour on Arkansas public-safety radio recapped in writing, the calls our monitor flags as they happen, and an overnight report each morning. Filter by area, type and severity. No audio to sit through, no names, block-level locations.
Members only
Court watch and records search
Every serious felony hearing in Arkansas circuit courts for the week ahead, new felony filings as they land, and what happened in court the day after, written from the docket. Search a name and see the bookings, the booking photos and the felony cases that go with it, in one place.
Every morning, ad-free
The member morning brief
Around 7:40 each morning, with no ads in it: the overnight scanner report, stories that broke overnight, yesterday's headlines, who is in court today and the forecast across the state, in one email. Insiders also get the flagged calls, the hour-by-hour timeline and yesterday in court.
Newsroom access
A seat closer to the work
Supporters are named on the site. Newsroom Partners sit in on a quarterly Q&A and tell us what to dig into next. Ask the newsroom and you get a reporter, not a form.
Supporter wall
Your name on the site, if you want it there.
Quarterly Q&A
Partners join a conversation with the people doing the reporting.
Tell us what to dig into
Partners send us the thing nobody is covering.
Levels
Pick a level
Monthly or yearly, cancel any time from your membership page. Every level keeps the news free for everyone else.
Supporter
Keep independent Arkansas news going.
$5 / month
or $50 a year · 2 months free
- Overnight scanner report, every morning
- The member morning brief by email, ad-free
- Your name on the supporter wall
- Funds newsroom staffing at Arkansas Breaking News
- Live board, court watch and records are Insider
Insider
Everything we gather, not just what makes the headline.
$10 / month
or $100 a year · 2 months free
- Everything in Supporter
- The live scanner board: every hour recapped, flagged calls as they happen
- Court watch: hearings, new felony filings, what happened in court
- Records search with booking photos
- Flagged calls and court in your morning brief
Newsroom Partner
Help us dig deeper and sit in on how we work.
$25 / month
or $250 a year · 2 months free
- Everything in Insider
- Quarterly Q&A with the newsroom
- Tell us what to dig into
- Partner listing on the site
Secure checkout by Stripe. Already a member? Sign in.
Gift memberships
Give someone Arkansas Breaking News.
Three months, six months or a year of membership for a friend, a parent, the neighbor who always asks what the sirens were. Pay once, we email them a note from you, nothing renews.
From $15 for three months. One payment.
For businesses
Back local news. Get your news out.
A business membership funds newsroom staffing and puts your announcements in front of the readers who live here: press releases published on the site, money off advertising, and the same members-only access our readers get.
Press releases, published
Email them from your contact address. We edit for style and publish them on the site, credited to your business. Your monthly allowance depends on the level.
Money off advertising
A standing discount on display, sponsored posts and newsletter sponsorships for as long as the membership is active.
Logins for your team
Add employees by email from your membership page. Each gets their own passwordless sign-in to the scanner board, court watch and the ad-free morning brief, for as long as the membership runs.
Business Member
Back local news and get your news out.
$50 / month
or $500 a year · 2 months free
2 press releases a month 10% off advertising 3 employee logins
- Insider access for you and up to 3 employees: scanner board, court watch, ad-free morning brief
- 2 press releases a month, published on the site
- 10% off advertising
- Listed as a business supporter on the site
Business Partner
A standing place in front of Arkansas readers.
$125 / month
or $1,250 a year · 2 months free
5 press releases a month 15% off advertising 6 employee logins
- Everything in Business Member
- Logins for up to 6 employees
- 5 press releases a month, published on the site
- Each release shared on our Facebook page
- 15% off advertising
- Your logo on the business supporters page
Business Sponsor
For the businesses that want local news to last.
$300 / month
or $3,000 a year · 2 months free
Unlimited press releases 25% off advertising 12 employee logins
- Everything in Business Partner
- Logins for up to 12 employees
- Unlimited press releases, published and shared
- 25% off advertising
- First call on event and newsletter sponsorships
- A quarterly sit-down with the publisher
Secure checkout by Stripe. Cancel any time. Questions about a bigger package? Email [email protected].
Questions, answered
How does billing work?
Checkout is handled by Stripe. You can pay monthly or yearly, and you can change your card, switch levels or cancel from your membership page at any time. Canceling keeps your access through the end of the period you paid for.
What happens right after I join?
You are signed in on the site automatically and the scanner board unlocks on the spot. A sign-in link is emailed to you as well, so you can get back in from any device without a password.
Where does the money go?
Toward newsroom staffing first: reporters and editors covering Arkansas. After that, records requests, court documents and the scanner monitoring that feeds the board. The goal is a better-informed Arkansas, not a paywall.
Does the news stay free for people who do not join?
Yes. Stories, the crime map and everything else on the site stay open. Membership pays for the reporting and adds the extras; it never puts the news behind a wall.
Is the morning brief really ad-free?
Yes. The member morning brief carries no advertising, and it never will. Members pay for it, so it answers to members.
Can I switch levels later?
Yes. Upgrade or downgrade from your membership page and Stripe prorates the difference.
Is the scanner content confirmed?
No. It is radio traffic as it was heard, labeled as unconfirmed, with no names and block-level locations. When something becomes a story we report it the usual way.
Can I give a membership to someone else?
Yes. The gift page sells three months, six months or a year of any reader level in one payment. We email the recipient a note from you with a link to start reading, on the day you choose. Nothing renews. If they already pay for a membership, the gift becomes credit on their account.
What does a business membership include?
Press releases published on the site (two, five or unlimited a month depending on the level), a standing discount on advertising, a listing as a business supporter, and member logins for your employees (3, 6 or 12 depending on the level) with the same access our readers get. Checkout and billing work the same way as a reader membership.
I am already a member. How do I sign in?
Use the sign-in form on the members page. Enter the email you joined with and we send you a one-time link.
Pay for the reporting. Get the extras.
From $5 a month, toward a better-informed Arkansas. Cancel any time.