The Blog on Branding

Will Newspapers Survive? Future of Newspapers Dangle by a Link

In the era of the 24-hour news cycle, print media is at a disadvantage, publishing information an entire day after radio, TV, and Internet sources have covered them in depth and moved to the new events transpiring today. Some news agencies have tried countering this issue with a second issue, one released around mid-day, to briefly cover the new events of the day and saving the in-depth writing for the main edition the next morning.

Ten years ago, major news companies agreed that online content should be free to the public. Now, many news organizations are rethinking that strategy as advertising revenue continues to decline for both print (dropped 15 percent in 2008) and online media.


“Ten years ago, major news companies agreed that online content should be free to the public—perhaps not anymore.”

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), owned by media guru Rupert Murdoch, already charges for Web content. In May of 2009, Murdoch said all of his publications will begin charging within a year. Murdoch owns such news outlets as the New York Post, The Sun, and The Times.

This article will discuss:

• Charging for content
• Value of online content
• Problems with paid content

Charging for content

A report by the American Press Institute found that 58 percent of surveyed newspapers intend to charge for online content by the end of 2009. And although there are a large number of papers that want to charge for content, a big question has arisen over how to do it.

Should publishers:

• Charge users a base subscription fee?
• Price users a set amount each week, month, or year to get as much online content as users want?
• Allow users to use micropayments, paying a small fee for each article they want to read?

Currently, publications that charge have a system called a “pay wall”—a screen that will pop up asking for a paid subscription before you can view the article. The WSJ uses a pay wall, and it earns an estimated $65 million a year.


“A report found that 58 percent of surveyed newspapers intend to charge for online content by the end of 2009.”

Value of online content

But what is the true worth of Web news content? Many readers have expressed a reluctance to pay monthly subscriptions for articles they most likely won’t read. For example, unless you are a fan, you aren’t likely to pay to read the review of the new Twilight movie.

The main reasoning behind this reluctance to pay is the consumers definition of “news.” In the age of online media, readers have become accustomed to finding the information they want, and not having to sift through other information. Customers will become frustrated when they can’t find what they want, but will become furious if they have to pay for something they don’t want.

But the online media age has done more than enhance consumers’ ability to find the information they need; it has also made them want quality news. Readers want to read well-written, quality information about the topics that matter to them. I, along with most consumers, have “judged a book by its cover” by previewing an article and, not finding it up to my personal standards, passed on it and left it unread.

Some publishers are considering charging only for the best articles, but that won’t stop people from finding the information for free anyway.

“Customers will become frustrated when they can’t find what they want, but will become furious if they have to pay for something they don’t want.”

Problems with paid content

One key problem has arisen with paid content: keeping it paid.

Online copyright laws have extended into music and movie rights, but little else. Teachers in schools will fail you for plagiarism, but you won’t likely get arrested. However, if media outlets begin charging for content, there is not any current program or software that will stop readers from copying the information to their own blog or website.

The closest programming for online copyright protection out there is Google’s ability to recognize duplicate website content and not send it traffic; but that can’t stop people from posting it anyway. Four major technology companies, including Microsoft and IBM, have expressed interest in creating an online payment system for Web content.

Not every publisher has jumped on the pay-for-content bandwagon. Some papers are afraid to push away readership by requiring payments, while others are considering waiting on charging for information in an attempt to draw in readers driven away from other sites that begin to charge.

Jon Buczkowski Jon doesn’t pay for content himself, but he’s been insisting this article not be free. Want content written for your Brand that shows up #1 on Search Engines and brings you new customers? Contact us.