Category Archives: Web/Tech

Hey news consumer, can you spare a dime?

That’s what newspaper editors quoted in this Editor and Publisher story are asking.

As newspapers scramble to decide how best to increase revenue online, editors are desperately trying to figure out what content to charge for, while still keeping print viable and their Web numbers up.

Most newsroom leaders who spoke with E&P said no decisions have been made but admit they welcome a paid approach to online, noting that readers seem to be willing to pay for Web content that is useful, exclusive and/or in-depth. In each region, however, the definition of marketable content varies. Some editors believe everything is chargeable. Others point at sports, or find blogs and analysis the most sellable.

It’s an interesting story, and explores difficult questions.

I am, of course, without answers, but I’m watching the debate with interest.

As a career newspaperperson until very recently, I’ve been pondering my role as a news consumer. I was surfing the Web site of my former employer, the Knoxville News Sentinel, via my phone while having lunch at Valparaiso University’s Harre Union just today.

Would I pay a small amount of money to gain access to currently free knoxnews.com content if it was entirely behind a paywall? I’m pretty sure I would, both to support the good folks at the KNS and because I’m genuinely interested in Knoxville news, though I no longer live there and don’t have family or deep roots in the Southeast.

But would I pay more than a little? And how much would be the dealbreaking point? And what if the pay process was unwieldy or annoying? Would I just bail?

And there are more questions on the flip side. OK, so newspapers keep content free. How would the News Sentinel target advertising to me? Does it need to? Am I a valuable piece of the online readership puzzle in terms of my utility to advertisers?

In the Editor and Publisher story, several news execs seem to favor a tiered approach: some stuff free, more specialized or unusual or useful content behind a paywall. But where’s the right balance? What should be free? And, most importantly, will consumers pay?