Start Your App
Client story

FITSNews had the newsroom. We built the app.

FITSNews covers South Carolina with an independent voice and a loyal readership. Curio Newsroom Pro brings its stories, subscriptions and more to an app that’s unmistakably FITSNews, connected to WordPress.

FITSNews app home feed on the Business tab, with a lead story on Bitcoin and two more business stories
Publication
FITSNews
Coverage
South Carolina politics, investigations and public-interest journalism
Publishing platform
WordPress
Curio edition
Newsroom Pro
Platforms
iOS and Android
About FITSNews

Independent. Unapologetic.

Founded by journalist and commentator Will Folks, FITSNews covers South Carolina politics, investigations, crime, courts and the stories that hold power to account.

Its original reporting has helped build an established readership and subscription business.

  • Politics and government
  • Investigations
  • Crime and courts
  • Video and podcasts
The challenge

A strong publication. A missing mobile channel.

FITSNews already had the stories, readers and subscriptions. What it didn’t have was its own mobile app.

Building one from scratch would mean a major software project, with the costs and maintenance that come with it. Curio offered another route.

Keep the newsroom.Skip the ground-up build.Give readers an app of their own.

The solution

Their brand. Their app. The same newsroom.

Curio Newsroom Pro brings FITSNews stories, subscriptions, video, podcasts and engagement features into one app. Editors keep working in WordPress.

News. A home feed with curated sections, reader interests and fresh stories from the newsroom.

FITSNews app home feed on the Business tab, with a lead story on Bitcoin and two more business stories
FITSNews Special Coverage hub for the Murdaugh Saga, with a summary and where the story stands

Video. Video gets its own space, including vertical viewing and links back to the full story.

FITSNews Video tab with a grid of Week in Review episodes
FITSNews vertical video viewer playing Week in Review, with a link to the full story

Podcasts. FITSNews podcasts, ready to play without leaving the app.

FITSNews Podcast episode list in the app, with play buttons for each episode

Engagement. Polls, comments, saved stories and personal preferences give readers more ways to engage.

FITSNews app reader poll with results, followed by a Crime and Courts story
FITSNews discussion under an article, with threaded replies and up and down voting

Membership. Existing members sign in; new readers can subscribe through in-app purchase. The paywall stays connected to the publication’s setup.

FITSNews membership offer in the app: Empower news that matters, one-year membership at $99.99 (about $8.33 a month) or monthly at $10.99, with renewal terms and Restore purchases
FITSNews article paywall: you’ve read your free articles this month, with a newsletter sign-up for three more free articles and a button to see subscription options
FITSNews log-in screen with username and password, plus Continue with Apple and Continue with Google

Shop. FITSNews merchandise is available inside the app, including products featured in the feed.

FITSNews Merch shop in the app, with hoodies, prices and a cart
FITSNews app Most Discussed list with comment counts, followed by a FITSNews merchandise carousel

  • Breaking news and targeted alerts

    Alerts for breaking stories, investigations and the topics or reporters readers follow.

  • Advertising and sponsorship

    Google Ad Manager, sponsored placements and other supported advertising options, plus merchandise in the feed.

  • One-tap sign-in

    Existing members can sign in with email, Apple or Google, depending on their account setup.

  • Offline reading

    Saved articles stay available offline, along with a limited set of recently viewed stories.

Feature spotlight · Newsroom Pro

Some stories need room to unfold.

Special Coverage gives major investigations and ongoing stories a dedicated destination, updated from WordPress.

FITSNews Special Coverage timeline of dated developments, each linked to the article
FITSNews Special Coverage hub for the Murdaugh Saga, with a summary and where the story stands
FITSNews Special Coverage key figures, with photos, roles and short biographies
  • Editorial summaries
  • Timelines
  • Key figures
  • Related reporting
  • Documents and PDFs
  • Video
  • Polls
  • Charts
  • Maps
  • Curated reading sequences

Managed in WordPress

Curio helps editors prepare summaries, timelines and other coverage elements from their reporting. Editors review and approve every draft.

It’s part of Newsroom Pro, rather than a separate custom system FITSNews had to commission.

WordPress integration

Still one newsroom. Still WordPress.

FITSNews editors publish where they always have. Stories flow into the app, and supported mobile settings are managed in WordPress too.

  • Navigation and content organization
  • Push notifications
  • Featured content
  • Paywall and subscription settings
  • Advertising campaigns
  • Special Coverage
  • Branding and appearance
  • Reader onboarding and preferences

Many updates go live without another app-store release.

1Write an alert in WordPress
2It lands on the reader’s lock screen
1Arrange sections and modules
2The home feed updates on next open

Curio fit the tools they already used

Curio built additional adapters for the FITSNews WordPress environment, keeping existing systems in place.

  • Paywall and subscriptionsThe existing membership system, in the app
  • MailchimpNewsletter sign-up and lists
  • WordPress pollsThe polling tool editors already use
  • Content structuresExisting categories, sections and editorial setup
Implementation

A mobile app, without starting from scratch.

Curio starts with an established publishing platform, then handles the branding, integration and technical work for each publication.

  1. Brand implementation and app configuration
  2. Connection to the existing WordPress environment
  3. Integration of subscriptions, newsletters, polls and advertising
  4. Configuration of reader-facing and newsroom features
  5. Device testing, store preparation and release

A couple of weeks

from active client involvement to a TestFlight build.

This was a project milestone, not a standard delivery promise. Custom integrations required additional work, and every implementation is scoped individually.
Curio handles
Branding, integrations, testing and store preparation
FITSNews provided
Brand assets, system access and editorial feedback
After launch
Daily publishing stays with the existing newsroom
Subscriptions and revenue

A new way to connect with paying readers.

FITSNews already has a subscription business. The app gives that relationship another place to grow.

  1. 1

    Read

    Readers discover stories and see membership options when they reach the paywall.

  2. 2

    Subscribe

    Existing members sign in; new readers can subscribe through in-app purchase.

  3. 3

    Keep reading

    The app keeps members connected to stories, alerts and the publication they support.

  • One-tap sign-in with Apple or Google
  • Push notifications bring readers back
  • Ad and sponsorship placements add inventory
  • The merch shop sits right in the feed

The app is built. Now comes the audience story.

FITSNews has a new mobile channel for its reporting, subscriptions and advertising. We’ll share meaningful, verified results when they’re available.

  1. 01

    Reading habits

    A home-screen presence and chosen alerts make returning easier.

  2. 02

    Subscriptions

    In-app purchase offers a simpler path to membership.

  3. 03

    Loyal audiences

    Polls, comments, podcasts and video offer more ways to connect.

  4. 04

    Mobile advertising

    Sponsored placements and advertising formats create more inventory.

Metrics we’ll report when verified:

  • App downloads
  • Monthly active users
  • New app-originated subscribers
  • Gross subscription revenue from the app
  • Net subscription revenue, after store fees
  • Push notification open rate
  • Subscriber retention
  • Mobile advertising revenue
FITSNews video playing full screen in landscape, with captions
Full-screen video, with captions
  • FITSNews app launch screen: FITSNews, Independent. Unapologetic.

    Launch screen

  • FITSNews app home feed on the Business tab, with a lead story on Bitcoin and two more business stories

    Home feed, by section

  • FITSNews app Most Discussed list with comment counts, followed by a FITSNews merchandise carousel

    Most Discussed and the merch shop

  • FITSNews app reader poll with results, followed by a Crime and Courts story

    Reader poll in the feed

  • FITSNews discussion under an article, with threaded replies and up and down voting

    Discussion with voting

  • FITSNews Special Coverage hub for the Murdaugh Saga, with a summary and where the story stands

    Special Coverage hub

  • FITSNews Special Coverage key figures, with photos, roles and short biographies

    Key figures

  • FITSNews vertical video viewer playing Week in Review, with a link to the full story

    Vertical video viewer

  • FITSNews Podcast episode list in the app, with play buttons for each episode

    Podcast episodes

  • FITSNews article paywall: you’ve read your free articles this month, with a newsletter sign-up for three more free articles and a button to see subscription options

    Metered paywall

  • FITSNews membership offer in the app: Empower news that matters, one-year membership at $99.99 (about $8.33 a month) or monthly at $10.99, with renewal terms and Restore purchases

    Membership offer

  • FITSNews log-in screen with username and password, plus Continue with Apple and Continue with Google

    Sign in with Apple or Google

  • FITSNews account settings: billing and subscription, and sign-in methods with Apple connected and Google ready to connect

    Account and sign-in methods

  • FITSNews Merch shop in the app, with hoodies, prices and a cart

    FITSNews Merch shop

Picture your publication here.

Your brand, stories and readers, brought together in an app built around the way your team works.

Start Your AppExplore Newsroom Pro
An app that feels like youWorks with your CMS