54 newspapers to charge for content
May 15, 2009 · Filed Under Business Bytes, Future of Media
The MediaNews Group said this week it will begin charging for some of the online content from all of its 54 newspapers, including The Denver Post, The Detroit News, the Salt Lake Tribune, and the San Jose Mercury News.
Among the plans: “First, MediaNews said it will stop reproducing all its print content online, meaning that some stories will only appear in the newspapers. Second, online content will be crafted to reach a younger audience; and third, online users who are not subscribed to the print edition will be required to register and pay a fee to read stories online.”
“First, we continue to do an injustice to our print subscribers and create perceptions that our content has no value by putting all of our print content online for free,” said a memo from Chief Executive Dean Singleton and President Jody Lodovic. “Not only does this erode our print circulation, it devalues the core of our business – the great local journalism we (and only we) produce on a daily basis. Second, our interactive revenue growth has slowed because it has been too closely tied to our print classified business, which has suffered with the advent of Craigslist and other free online classified opportunities.”
