Why you might be seeing adverts instead of news stories on Isle of Man Today - and how to fix it

I’d just like to reassure the readers who have struggled to access articles on Isle of Man Today following the introduction of our digital subscriptions that there is a simple explanation - and, in most cases, a straightforward solution.

We've received a number of comments from readers, mainly on Facebook, who have reported that when they try and access a story online, they can see adverts but not the news stories they have clicked on.

This is linked to the introduction of our new digital subscription system, which allows readers to access a number of articles for free before being asked to subscribe to see more.

However, some readers may be missing an important message that should appear on their screen explaining how you can carry on reading.

Under the new arrangements, anyone visiting Isle of Man Today can read one article for free without registering or paying anything.

When you attempt to read a second article, a pop-up message should appear inviting you to register for our free ‘The Briefing’ newsletter.

By completing this registration, you can can unlock another three free articles, giving you access to four free stories in total.

Once your allowance of free articles have been used up, you will then be asked to take out a digital subscription if you want to continue accessing our journalism.

Some readers have reported clicking on an article only to find themselves looking at adverts or an otherwise empty page, with no news story visible.

This can happen when the registration or subscription pop-up has not appeared as intended.

In some cases, you might simply need to allow a little more time for the message to load...patience is a virtue as they say.

However, browser settings, ad-blocking software or pop-up blockers may also interfere with the message appearing.

If you have encounter this problem, I recommend waiting a few moments for the pop-up to appear.

If nothing happens, try refreshing the page or temporarily disabling any ad or pop-up blockers you may have enabled for Isle of Man Today - those settings will be personal to you and will depend on the device and type of software you are using.

The important point is that seeing adverts without an article does not necessarily mean the story is missing or that you must immediately pay to access it.

You may just need to complete the free registration process to continue reading.

If the problem persists, please contact us so we can investigate by emailing [email protected] for assistance or by phoning 695696

Some of you may also have noticed automated adverts appearing around articles, including pop-ups that can interrupt the reading experience.

I absolutely appreciate that these can be frustrating to read around and we have been working hard to offer readers a cleaner way to access our stories (I’ll have more on that a bit down the line).

One of the benefits of becoming a digital subscriber is an ad-light experience, with the more intrusive automated advertising removed.

Readers who choose not to subscribe will continue to see advertising on the website.

A digital subscription normally costs £4.99 a month, but we're currently offering new subscribers their first month for just £1.

A discounted annual subscription is also available for readers who would prefer to pay for a full year upfront.

Subscribing gives readers unlimited access to all of Isle of Man Today's online journalism, including Gef, as well as our digital archive.

It also includes access to the digital editions of the Isle of Man Examiner, Manx Independent and Isle of Man Courier.

Again, subscribers benefit from the cleaner, ad-light reading experience.

I’ve written and spoken about these changes extensively but, in essence, its part of our efforts to secure the long-term future of independent local journalism on the Isle of Man.

In a column I published before we launched our subscriptions - you can read it here, it’s free - I explained that while the website had attracted record audiences, due to a variety of different factors the revenue generated through online advertising is constantly being squeezed.

I should also point out that, unlike Manx Radio, which receives more than £1.3 million in taxpayer funding each year, or the BBC, which is funded through the television licence fee, we do not receive any public funding for our journalism.

However, this isn’t a sob story - I’m really proud of the work the team do day in and day out and I feel it’s worth supporting.

If you’ve subscribed to our digital content, signed up for our newsletter or supported our journalism in any other way, I’d like to take this opportunity to say a sincere thank you.

Again, if you're experiencing problems accessing stories, we'd genuinely like to hear from you - contact [email protected] for assistance or phone 695696

If you’d like to speak to me, feel free to get in contact by emailing [email protected]