Want to read all about it online? It may cost you

[babylonsister]

Want to read all about it online? It may cost you
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE Associated Press Writer


Sep 20th, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO -- With their advertising revenue drying up, newspaper publishers spent much of the spring and summer debating whether to cut off free online access to some of the material they run in their shrinking print editions.

It looks like the talk will turn to action this fall, when some large newspapers are expected to put up Internet toll booths.

They'll be testing readers' willingness to pay for information and entertainment that mostly has been given away online for the past 15 years. That happened largely because most publishers could afford to subsidize their Web sites with profits from their print franchises. But now those profits have crumbled, just as the prices for online ads are tumbling, too.

A recent study by the American Press Institute found 58 percent of the responding newspapers are considering online fees. Of that group, 22 percent expect to introduce the fee before the end of the year. The findings drew upon 118 interviews of newspaper executives in the U.S. and Canada.

The free-to-fee transition likely will occur in tentative steps rather than bold leaps that would lock all online content behind a pay gate. Publishers are taking this cautious approach because they are still trying to devise online payment plans that will generate more revenue without alienating too many of their readers.

more...

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/scitech/2009/09/20/D9AR60R00_us_tec_online_news_fees/index.html

[Salviati]

1. Good luck with that.

I seem to recall they tried that already, and it didn't work out so well.

[cliffordu]

2. Ah, yes. Complete destruction of the papers. Buh Bye.,

I love the paper. I'll be sorry to see it go.

[grantcart]

19. When they start investigating and reporting news I'll start paying.

[cliffordu]

23. Don't be hatin', homie...

[SIMPLYB1980]

3. Do they think we can't get around whatever they try to do?nt

[Speck Tater]

4. Asking a person to pay for something of value is just plain futile. nt

[Deja Q]

17. That's capitalism.

[Warpy]

5. I paid for an online NYT subscription

when they tried it and found it worthwhile. I won't pay for a lot of the stuff, though, and neither will any other news junkie. We'll have to content ourselves with the headlines and the first one or two paragraphs they'll post to try to suck us in.

I see The Nation now requires subscription to view their stuff online. While I find it sad, I do understand why a shoestring publication that is on the brink of disaster every month does that.

I have a feeling much news content will continue to be free access, but the editorial and other content will be fee for service. The sheer volume of stuff out there on the net would keep them from making a profit on it otherwise. The only reason it worked for as long as it did at the NYT was the attractiveness of their stable of editorial writers. It will likely be the same for other outlets.

It will be nice to see decent writers being courted again instead of a bunch of hacks who wait for RNC press releases to drop into their laps.

[Indigent]

6. I understand their point. I hope they understand mine: I can't afford it

And I won't pay a penny for news anymore. I pay internet. That should cover it. Let them tell Optimum Online to take some of that money I pay them and use it to cover the news portion of what I do online.

[msongs]

21. charming. when u want something for nothing u get what u pay for lol nt

[Libertas1776]

7. They should have done this

when they first started up online, instead of making everything free. That way most would probably keep to buying their print versions and maybe, just maybe the whole print media industry wouldn't be going belly up...at least not yet. So they think they're gonna charge people now, after years of free access...ain't gonna happen. It's too late.

[Hannah Bell]

20. the free trial period is to get people hooked.

[onehandle]

8. It won't work unless they get together and do it en masse.

Which I am not really against.

They must be paid to survive.

[BlooInBloo]

9. Good - get rid of the fuckers faster.

[customerserviceguy]

10. It'll never work

The music industry should have showed them that.

[TxRider]

11. That's what advertising is for.

And they should have less overhead online, due to lack of cost of huge printing and paper distribution cost.

[FormerDittoHead]

12. They should charge sports teams for sports reporting...

After they've fired the 'beat' reporters, aren't most 'local' reporters doing SPORTS?

And seeing that Sports is THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS, and they anything they 'report' outside of the SCORES is RARELY 'reporting', they should CHARGE the teams for the ADVERTISING...

[Deja Q]

18. Agreed, 100%.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

13. I want to know why this isn't a violation of the Sherman Anti-trust Act?

I recall reading of a symposium of newpapers somewhere where this was discussed, which I think is verboten under Sherman anti-trust laws. An industry cannot act in a monolithic co-ordinated fashion in order to undermine the free market.

I am actually somewhat sympathetic to the plight of the industry, but I also see that newspapers are FAILING to deliver NEWS. In fact, right this second, they are ignoring the Sybil Edmunds story, which was told under oath in an open courtroom, so I question the legitimacy of ANY of them caling themselves an actual "news" or "journalism" source. It's practically false advertising in and of itself.

[stray cat]

14. Only online have they ever been free anyway - why shouldn't they charge for a product

reading an article in a newspaper for free isn't a right

[Indigent]

22. How much are you willing to pay for news articles? nt

[dkf]

15. Well that is a good way to become irrelevant.

I used to follow Paul Krugman religiously until they made us pay for him. And then he stopped being part of my routine. Now I only read him if someone posts on him.

[Deja Q]

16. Will subscribers get coupons to print out?