I’m the Quicken wrangler in my family, and twice a year I try to go through all our subscriptions and verify they’re still worthwhile.
I also believe in paying for media whenever I can.
So, here are the media I believe are worth paying for. You should check them out.
Independent Voices
I love that I can give money directly to creators. I wish I could do more.
Anne Helen Petersen. Outstanding daily writer.
Naked Capitalism. Been reading their site since the mid-2000s, I think. Always great insights.
Doomberg. New kid on the block. Outstanding coverage, especially around energy issues.
The 19th. An independent non-profit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy.
ProPublica. Outstanding independent research.
General News
The New York Times. Plus, Wordle!
The Atlantic. Make sure to check out Alan’s photo sections, as well.
Public Media
Once upon a time, I used to work for NPR, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for public media.
WBUR. We are sustaining members. Our clock radio goes off each morning to the WBUR newscast.
GBH. GBH is the parent organization of Classical Radio Boston, which we have on in the background all day long.
WXPN. We love Funky Friday, have Exponential Radio on all day Saturday and are devoted to The Night Before as our December 24th soundtrack.
KCRW Eclectic 24 is our soundtrack on Sundays. This (and XPN2) are the main ways I get exposed to new music.
Cook’s Illustrated. This is the only print magazine we still subscribe to. Everyone loves checking out the new recipes when it arrives. We also learn some new techniques each month.
Local News
The Concord Bridge. This is new free weekly in my hometown. We donate $20/month (kinda like public radio) because we want it to exist.
Business and Trade Press
Business Insider. Good general-purpose business coverage.
The Information. Good coverage of the tech world.
The Wall Street Journal. Worth checking in on every day. The comment section is a cesspool, though.
Platformer. News at the intersection of Silicon Valley and democracy.
Baekdal Executive. High-end media analysis.
Sports
Boston Sports Journal. This is an independent Boston sports publication, let by veteran journalist Greg Bedard.
The Athletic. Now owned by the New York Times. They have outstanding Boston sports coverage.
Murderbots
ChatGPT. I’m playing with this for work reasons. Sometimes it’s smart. Sometimes it’s insanely wrong. Either way, I need to pay attention.
Video
Netflix. I’ve had my subscription since 2001, I think. Right now, it’s mostly for the children (and for those times when I need to watch a little of The Good Place).
Max. I already subscribe to HBO through Comcast, so I don’t have to pay extra for this. Right now, we’re catching up on House of the Dragon.
Disney Plus. This was mostly for Marvel and Star Wars. We’re not on fire for either of those franchises right now, so this may eventually get cut.
Amazon Prime Video. I don’t pay separately for this — it comes with my Amazon Prime subscription. They have some NFL stuff this year and the occasional series like Upload that’s interesting.
Hulu. We watch a surprising number of shows through here. Right now, we’re doing a series watch of Elementary.
Apple TV+. Ted Lasso was amazing, and is beloved in my household. Severance was really good. Shrinking was pretty good.