According to New York Times press reports its “taking a step that has tempted and terrified much of the newspaper industry, The New York Times announced on Wednesday that it would charge some frequent readers for access to its Web site — news that drew ample reaction from media analysts and consumers, ranging from enthusiastic to withering.”
Beginning in January 2011, unlimited access to NYTimes.com will require a paper subscription or payment of a flat fee.
Starting in January 2011, a visitor to NYTimes.com will be allowed to view a certain number of articles free each month; to read more, the reader must pay a flat fee for unlimited access. Subscribers to the print newspaper, even those who subscribe only to the Sunday paper, will receive full access to the site without any additional charge.
“This announcement allows us to begin the thought process that’s going to answer so many of the questions that we all care about,” Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the Times Company chairman and publisher of the newspaper, said in an interview. “We can’t get this halfway right or three-quarters of the way right. We have to get this really, really right.”
For years, publishers banked on a digital future supported entirely by advertising, dismissing online fees as little more than a formula for shrinking their audiences and ad revenue. But two years of plummeting advertising has many of them weighing anew whether they might collect more money from readers than they would lose from advertisers.
“You can’t continue to be The New York Times unless you find” a new source of revenue, said James McQuivey, media analyst at Forrester Research.
I think this is a great idea. The NYT is being quite generous to allow Sunday only readers full access to all articles. Something needs to be done to save the print paper – this is an idea I have actually been discussing as a partial solution for some time. All major papers should join in lockstep. It’s only fair – why should those who enjoy & subscribe to the print format underwrite free e-content for all, particularly at their own expense, i.e. unlimited free internet access has contributed to the demise of the newsPAPER.