Update 2/19/23:
I just wanted to post a quick update on the Go Fund Me (which you can access here). First off, thank you everyone that has donated money so far. It is extremely humbling to have to ask for funding, and to reach the midpoint of our goal after just a week has taken a weight off of our shoulders.
With the funding secured we will be moving forward and hope to have a seamless transition when we go live with the new site on April 1st. There may or may not be a delay with importing the archives, but new content will be going up as the Lightning enter the final month of the regular season.
Again, thank you to everyone who has given so far, and if you can continue to share the news (and the link) we would appreciate it greatly.
——JustinG. and the Raw Charge team….
A few weeks ago, we let you know that Vox Media had made the decision to demonetize Raw Charge and the majority of their hockey sites. After the initial outrage settled down, self-pity set in for a few days. Now, with a slightly clearer head, we have decided to get up, dust ourselves off and keep skating. While the final details are still a bit hazy, we have informed Vox Media that Raw Charge will be moving forward as an independent site.
Hopefully, not much will change for you, the readers. We intend to continues (with a slightly smaller staff) publishing features, daily headlines, previews and recaps just like we always have and it will be on the same platform through the end of March.
Starting April 1st, we will be on our own, without the safety net of a large media corporation and all of the bells and whistles (i.e. technical support) that goes along with it. Hopefully, the transition will be seamless, but since your friendly neighborhood editor knows more about the hotel business than he does running a website, there may be a glitch or two.
Along with the lack of technical support there is also the small factor of money. While no one on this staff ever quit their day job based on the stipend we received from Vox Media, it was nice to have a little extra money on the side (and no one should work for free). Now that that funding steam will soon be cut off, we are looking at alternative ways to pull in a little money as we move forward as an independent site.
It is not our intention to put the entire site behind a paywall. Could there be portions or exclusive content for folks that are willing to subscribe? Possibly, but the meat and potatoes will likely remain free for the foreseeable future. Those are decisions we are likely to make once the rush of the season is over. We’ve already seen one major media company (The Athletic) pull out of this market and we feel there is still room for us to continue the Tampa Bay Lightning.
While there are plenty of good people still covering the team (shout out to Erik, Erlendsson), our fan-based approach provides a different outlook on the team. As one of the other managing editors put it, “we love our teams and we hate our teams.” That perspective allows us to have a little fun with our coverage as well.
In order to get us through the remainder of this season, though, we do need a little help. So, we have established a Go Fund Me site to help secure the funds to secure a new provider for the website and to pay the staff that is staying on board. The link to that fundraiser is here.
Any amount that you can donate would be much appreciated. Also, if you can spread the word among other Lightning or hockey fans, that would be wonderful as well.
Thank you for your support over the years and moving forward. Go Bolts.
