PA Media Group is launching a digital subscription program today for its PennLive website. The goal is to generate new revenue to help support local reporting, officials of the parent company of PennLive and The Patriot-News newspaper said.

“Professional newsgathering is an expensive business,” said PA Media Group president Tim Kennedy. “We’ve invested heavily in transforming our 165-year-old business for the digital age and are having great success growing online readership. Yet Facebook and Google soak up much of the online profits and do almost nothing to support local journalism, which means we must look to support digital news through paid subscriptions.”

The initiative is aimed at PennLive readers who don’t subscribe to the newspaper, particularly those who visit the website frequently. Non-subscribers who are on the website often will eventually be asked to purchase a subscription or temporarily lose their access to PennLive.

Cate Barron, PA Media Group’s editor and vice president of content, said the new program is geared to avid readers who’ve come to appreciate the depth and variety of news, sports and information that PennLive provides.

“Rather than just blocking everyone who doesn’t subscribe at, say, four stories a month, we preferred to take a more measured approach. We want to reflect folks’ actual use of the site,” she said. “We’re asking users who visit us frequently and really rely on our professional coverage of local news to help support it.”

The introductory price for a digital subscription will be $14.99 a month. The subscription includes unlimited access to PennLive.com and its apps, access to the eNewspaper which includes interactive puzzles and games, subscriber-exclusive newsletters and the option to add Sunday home delivery at no additional cost in available zip codes.

Some online content, including the homepage, obituaries, opinion section, school-closings page and real estate, jobs and classified ads, will remain open and free to all users.

All current Patriot-News subscribers will continue to receive full access to PennLive at no extra charge, company officials emphasized. Print and eNewspaper subscribers may register for this free, unlimited access at myaccount.pennlive.com.

Those who want to subscribe can click the subscribe button in the top right corner of the page or visit this link.

Kennedy said the revenue from paying subscribers for online news, as well as print, will help better ensure the 50-member newsroom can continue to report stories of importance to central Pennsylvanians.

“Quality — and an independent press — come at a cost,” he said. “Your subscription helps us continue to pursue top-quality coverage.”

He noted news operations — particularly local ones — are increasingly turning to their online readers to help support the high cost of professional reporting.

PennLive and the Patriot-News recently received repeat honors for best breaking news coverage in the state, as well as national accolades for investigations into nursing-home safety, state lottery winners and drinking water contaminants.

“We believe this work is well worth paying for,” Barron said.

PennLive has more than tripled its readership over the past eight years and averages 4.7 million unique visitors every month. It consistently ranks among the top five newspaper websites in the U.S. for local audience.

“The vital support provided by your Patriot or PennLive subscription will ensure our important work continues far into the future,” Kennedy said.