Maybe it’s just a one-time-only promotion or maybe it’s a shift in philosophy, but the Chronicle is now offering a year-long, Thursday-through-Sunday subscription for $19.99. The SFWeekly posted this picture of the offer insert (at left).

Normally, the Thursday-Sunday rate is $26 for four weeks. For 52 weeks, it’s $338. So this is a $318.01 discount.

The SF Weekly called various Chronicle execs for a comment. None of them returned the calls. But the discount offer seems to contradict the new business plan announced by Publisher Frank Vega last year. He wanted the Chron to rely less on advertising revenue and more on money paid by subscribers and single-copy purchasers.