Offering free content at readers’ fingertips, many print publications’ websites have become their own worst enemies. In order to prevent stealing revenue and readership from themselves, some of these organizations have chosen to charge for access to online content and electronic editions of their papers.
Many papers have chosen to charge less for online subscriptions than for print based on the assumption that the cost to read should reflect the cost to produce the edition in question. Unfortunately, this approach often yields the unintended result of driving online traffic while decreasing the number print subscriptions.
Over in Rhode Island, though, the Newport Daily News is charging an astonishing $345 a year for online only access, while a combo subscription of print and online costs only $100 a year. The Albuquerque Journal shares the Daily New‘s sentiment to a lesser degree, claiming that it’s not about creating online revenue as much as it is about print retention and preserving the value of the content.
Intrigued? Take a look at this list of publications who charge for their online content. It’s free. At least for now.
