Tech Sideline is announcing new subscription pricing as we enter the 2021-22 academic year, including two firsts: free student subscriptions, and a one-month-free promotion.
Effectively immediately:
- Our annual subscription will increase from $84.99 to $100
- Our monthly price will increase from $8.49 to $10
- Our student price decreases from $29.99 to free
- For new monthly subscribers, your first month is free
If your subscription is set to auto-renew, you don’t need to do anything. It will renew at the new rate when your current subscription expires. If you wish to cancel, we include instructions below on how to do so.
As we note above, our student subscriptions, previously priced at $29.99, are now free (Virginia Tech students only), for the duration of your status as a student. We hope that a lot of Virginia Tech students will take us up on this offer and get familiar with our content during their time on campus. We include more information below on signing up for a free subscription, so please read carefully.
Throughout our history, our subscribers have been very generous and have supported all of our new initiatives and projects, and we thank you for enabling us to accomplish all the changes of the last three years. Greater things are on the horizon, and we hope you’ll continue to provide that same level of support that you have in the past.
Why the Increase?
This is an exciting time of change and growth at Tech Sideline, with new office space, new talent coming on board, and new programming to be launched soon.
Office space: Last January, we opened up a second office in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, right next door to the original office we moved into in 2018. We moved our operations into the new office, and we converted our old office — which was *very* cramped with our podcast set and multiple desks — into a dedicated audio/video production studio.
Here’s a look at the new office right before we installed computers and moved in:
Lighting is fully installed in the new office! Job done by @MalcStewy23. The arrangement of the memorabilia could probably used some refining, but the lights look cool! pic.twitter.com/JukT1aNEsF
— Tech Sideline (@TechSideline) December 29, 2020
And here’s a look at our old, once-cluttered office, before and after pics – click the pics for larger versions, which will open up in a new window.
Before:
After:
Here’s how we think of it: a few weeks ago, we were able to escort Justin Fuente into a professional looking studio and interview environment, instead of the pig sty we previously inhabited.
New talent: We recently hired David Cunningham to a full-time position as our new Managing Editor. David is already making us better, and as he gets more acclimated, he’ll help us grow and improve even more. David also has great relationships with students in the Virginia Tech Sports Media & Analytics program, and David will be working the students to provide more great content for Tech Sideline.
New programming: Very soon, we’ll launch a newer, faster, more capable message board system that we have spent over a year and many tens of thousands of dollars developing. Don’t worry, if you like the current boards, you can configure the new boards to look and function just like them. If you want something a little more modern (but still threaded style, mind you), you’ll have that as well.
Future Growth: Once the dust settles from the new message board launch, we hope to have the funds available to continue to grow Tech Sideline’s audio/video offerings and to improve customer service and management of our extensive media offerings, including social media.
Yes, all of these things are added expenses for Tech Sideline, but they also make us a lot better at what we do for you, so they represent increased value to you, the reader, listener, and subscriber.
New Subscription Pricing FAQ
When do the new prices take effect?
New prices are effective immediately.
Will my subscription auto-renew at the new price, or do I need to do something?
If your subscription is set to auto-renew, you don’t need to do anything. When it renews, it will renew at the new price.
How do I cancel my subscription?
Make sure you’re logged into the site, click here, and look for the “Cancel Subscription” link. (If you don’t see the link, it’s because your subscription was previously canceled, and you don’t need to do anything.) Click it, and your subscription will not automatically renew upon expiration. You’ll still be a subscriber for the duration of your subscription, but it will not automatically renew when it expires.
If you are unable to stay on board as a subscriber at the new price, we thank you for your support as a subscriber to TechSideline.com and hope to have you back on board someday.
How do I get a free student subscription?
All you need is to be a current Virginia Tech student (undergrad or graduate) with a vt.edu email address. Go to our signup page and take out a free student subscription, registering with your vt.edu address. That will get you a one-year subscription. Our student ambassador will reach out to you and ask for your expected month/year of graduation, and we’ll extend your subscription out to that point. Our ambassador will also ask for some verification that you’re a current student, including your major and social media links (Twitter, Facebook, SnapChat, Tik-Tok) that verify your status as a student.
I already paid for a student subscription. What about me?
If you have purchased a student subscription in the last three months, we will refund your full purchase price. (That’s as far back as we can go with refunds, time-wise). If you have an active student subscription that’s older than that, we’ll extend you out to your expected graduation date.
I have other questions that aren’t answered here.
Hit us up at [email protected], and we’ll answer your question, plus we’ll add it to the list here.
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