Well, rushed! or how are things going with the sites of newspapers that charge for access to content
The more actively the idea of paying access to newspaper sites is discussed, the more attention is paid to how the Wall Street Journal or the Financial Times will behave. In the meantime, some small newspapers slyly implement their own ideas on this subject. We contacted some of them to find out how much they are asking for access, and how fees are going.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. But general conclusions can already be made. Our heroes are, as a rule, small newspapers, often village ones. Subscribing to an access to a site is usually much cheaper than a subscription to a printed version - on average about 75% of the cost of a paper edition. The number of online subscribers is very small, less than 5%. And many editors say that they began to take money for access to the site not for the sake of profit, but in order to maintain a paper subscription.
Newspaper: Daily Gazette
Place of publication: Schenectady, New York
Average purchase: 44242
Pricing: an online subscription costs $ 2.95 per week, print subscribers pay $ 3.00 per week and for a small surcharge they get unlimited access to the site and the electronic version. The blogs, news of the Associated Press, TV programs, photo galleries and hot news are published for free.
When the fee is entered: August 2009, although the newspaper began to take money even earlier for access to the electronic version.
Results: site traffic dropped by 40% in the first three weeks after entering paid access to some content, including obituaries. We were told about this by managing editor Judy Patrick (Judy Patrick). “But,” she says, “a paid subscription is slowly growing.” Now the newspaper has 670 online subscribers only.
Comment: This newspaper competes with the neighboring Albany Times Union, which publishes all of its content for free, but takes 75 cents for a digital copy of the paper version. It is still very early to draw conclusions about the affairs of a competitor.
Newspaper: Valley Morning Star
Place of publication: Harlingen, Texas
Average purchase: 23294
Pricing: an online subscription costs 75 cents per day, or $ 3.95 per month, or $ 39.50 per year. Paper daily subscribers have free access to the electronic version. Subscribers of the Saturday-Sunday edition pay $ 3.16 per month for access to the site. Subscribers of the Sunday edition pay $ 3.56 per month for access to the site. Holiday programs, obituaries, Associated Press news, videos, blogs, and announcements are publicly available.
When payment entered: July 2009
Results: our interlocutor did not respond to the request, but since the Morning Star began to charge for something else in mid-June, another diary of the same Freedom Communications publisher, the Lima News newspaper, followed its example. In addition, traffic to the Morning Star site rose slightly in July, according to Compete.
Comment: Announcing innovation, Morning Star publisher Tyler Patton (Tyler Patton) said: "Termination of free distribution will increase the value of our faithful subscribers." Keep in mind that this newspaper has no competitors in the city where it is published.
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Newspaper: Newport Daily News
Place of publication: Newport, Rhode Island
Average buy run: 12,000
Pricing: an online subscription costs $ 5 / day, $ 10 / week, $ 35 / month, $ 345 / year. A mixed (print and online) subscription costs $ 11 / month or $ 100 / year. Obituaries, announcements, blogs, and copy editorials are available free of charge.
When fee is entered: June 2009
Results: Publisher Buck Sherman told us that the goal was to “get people back to the print version,” and not make money online. He also noted that so far “everything is working out for us”, adding that newspaper sales in retail grew by 8%. Site traffic has dropped by 30%, according to Compete.
Comment: The model of this newspaper attracted media attention at the beginning of this year, because the fee it introduced for the electronic version was significantly higher than the paper one. The newspaper has almost no competitors, because the larger Providence Journal focuses more on covering the life of the entire state, rather than local realities.
Newspaper: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Place of publication: Little Rock, Ark
Average purchase: 182789
Pricing: an online subscription, including access to the electronic version, costs $ 5.95 / month or $ 59 / year. Paper subscribers get access to the site for free.
When fee is entered: 2002
Results: Publisher Walter Hussman told us that the newspaper introduced a site fee to boost sales of the paper version. Since the moment of innovation, the volume sold has fallen by about 1%. Revenues from the sale of an online subscription are only $ 200,000 per year.
Comment: The newspaper is a monopolist in its market; it is the largest daily district-level daily in the United States, which charges for access to its website.
Newspaper: Albuquerque Journal
Place of publication: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Average purchased circulation: 101810
Pricing: access to the site, including the electronic version of the newspaper, costs $ 110 / year or $ 38.25 / quarter. For $ 185 / year, the reader also receives a paper version for this. Or $ 153 / year for the delivery of a newspaper at home and access to the site.
When fee entered: 2001
Results: Assistant Managing Editor Don Friedman (Donn Friedman) says that from 1,500 to 2,000 people pay extra money for access to certain materials on the site. This number has been “fairly consistent” for the past 8 years. “Every month, about 300 people stumble upon a notice on the site that they need to pay for access in one form or another,” he said. From the moment of innovation, sales of the paper version fell by 6%. When we asked Don about success, he replied: “We are still committed to paper and believe that our content is valuable.”
Comment: This newspaper's competitor, the Albuquerque Tribune, closed last year, although the Journal continues to compete with the smaller statewide newspaper Santa Fe New Mexican.
Newspaper: Bend Bulletin
Place of publication: Bend, Oregon
Average purchase of a circulation: 32682
Pricing: an online subscription costs $ 8 / month or $ 96 / year. Paper subscribers pay $ 11 / month or $ 132 / year and get free access to the site. The editors say that an average of 30 articles per day are published on the site in the public domain.
When fee is entered: 2005
Results: 1200 online subscribers, according to director of new media, Jan Evan (Jan Even).
Comment: The newspaper is a monopolist in its market.
Other newspapers that charge for site access are: Tribune of Lewiston (Idaho), Idaho Press-Tribune (Nampa, Idaho) and the Herald Times (Bloomington, Indiana). Have something to add?
This is by no means an exhaustive list. But general conclusions can already be made. Our heroes are, as a rule, small newspapers, often village ones. Subscribing to an access to a site is usually much cheaper than a subscription to a printed version - on average about 75% of the cost of a paper edition. The number of online subscribers is very small, less than 5%. And many editors say that they began to take money for access to the site not for the sake of profit, but in order to maintain a paper subscription.
Newspaper: Daily Gazette
Place of publication: Schenectady, New York
Average purchase: 44242
Pricing: an online subscription costs $ 2.95 per week, print subscribers pay $ 3.00 per week and for a small surcharge they get unlimited access to the site and the electronic version. The blogs, news of the Associated Press, TV programs, photo galleries and hot news are published for free.
When the fee is entered: August 2009, although the newspaper began to take money even earlier for access to the electronic version.
Results: site traffic dropped by 40% in the first three weeks after entering paid access to some content, including obituaries. We were told about this by managing editor Judy Patrick (Judy Patrick). “But,” she says, “a paid subscription is slowly growing.” Now the newspaper has 670 online subscribers only.
Comment: This newspaper competes with the neighboring Albany Times Union, which publishes all of its content for free, but takes 75 cents for a digital copy of the paper version. It is still very early to draw conclusions about the affairs of a competitor.
Newspaper: Valley Morning Star
Place of publication: Harlingen, Texas
Average purchase: 23294
Pricing: an online subscription costs 75 cents per day, or $ 3.95 per month, or $ 39.50 per year. Paper daily subscribers have free access to the electronic version. Subscribers of the Saturday-Sunday edition pay $ 3.16 per month for access to the site. Subscribers of the Sunday edition pay $ 3.56 per month for access to the site. Holiday programs, obituaries, Associated Press news, videos, blogs, and announcements are publicly available.
When payment entered: July 2009
Results: our interlocutor did not respond to the request, but since the Morning Star began to charge for something else in mid-June, another diary of the same Freedom Communications publisher, the Lima News newspaper, followed its example. In addition, traffic to the Morning Star site rose slightly in July, according to Compete.
Comment: Announcing innovation, Morning Star publisher Tyler Patton (Tyler Patton) said: "Termination of free distribution will increase the value of our faithful subscribers." Keep in mind that this newspaper has no competitors in the city where it is published.
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Newspaper: Newport Daily News
Place of publication: Newport, Rhode Island
Average buy run: 12,000
Pricing: an online subscription costs $ 5 / day, $ 10 / week, $ 35 / month, $ 345 / year. A mixed (print and online) subscription costs $ 11 / month or $ 100 / year. Obituaries, announcements, blogs, and copy editorials are available free of charge.
When fee is entered: June 2009
Results: Publisher Buck Sherman told us that the goal was to “get people back to the print version,” and not make money online. He also noted that so far “everything is working out for us”, adding that newspaper sales in retail grew by 8%. Site traffic has dropped by 30%, according to Compete.
Comment: The model of this newspaper attracted media attention at the beginning of this year, because the fee it introduced for the electronic version was significantly higher than the paper one. The newspaper has almost no competitors, because the larger Providence Journal focuses more on covering the life of the entire state, rather than local realities.
Newspaper: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Place of publication: Little Rock, Ark
Average purchase: 182789
Pricing: an online subscription, including access to the electronic version, costs $ 5.95 / month or $ 59 / year. Paper subscribers get access to the site for free.
When fee is entered: 2002
Results: Publisher Walter Hussman told us that the newspaper introduced a site fee to boost sales of the paper version. Since the moment of innovation, the volume sold has fallen by about 1%. Revenues from the sale of an online subscription are only $ 200,000 per year.
Comment: The newspaper is a monopolist in its market; it is the largest daily district-level daily in the United States, which charges for access to its website.
Newspaper: Albuquerque Journal
Place of publication: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Average purchased circulation: 101810
Pricing: access to the site, including the electronic version of the newspaper, costs $ 110 / year or $ 38.25 / quarter. For $ 185 / year, the reader also receives a paper version for this. Or $ 153 / year for the delivery of a newspaper at home and access to the site.
When fee entered: 2001
Results: Assistant Managing Editor Don Friedman (Donn Friedman) says that from 1,500 to 2,000 people pay extra money for access to certain materials on the site. This number has been “fairly consistent” for the past 8 years. “Every month, about 300 people stumble upon a notice on the site that they need to pay for access in one form or another,” he said. From the moment of innovation, sales of the paper version fell by 6%. When we asked Don about success, he replied: “We are still committed to paper and believe that our content is valuable.”
Comment: This newspaper's competitor, the Albuquerque Tribune, closed last year, although the Journal continues to compete with the smaller statewide newspaper Santa Fe New Mexican.
Newspaper: Bend Bulletin
Place of publication: Bend, Oregon
Average purchase of a circulation: 32682
Pricing: an online subscription costs $ 8 / month or $ 96 / year. Paper subscribers pay $ 11 / month or $ 132 / year and get free access to the site. The editors say that an average of 30 articles per day are published on the site in the public domain.
When fee is entered: 2005
Results: 1200 online subscribers, according to director of new media, Jan Evan (Jan Even).
Comment: The newspaper is a monopolist in its market.
Other newspapers that charge for site access are: Tribune of Lewiston (Idaho), Idaho Press-Tribune (Nampa, Idaho) and the Herald Times (Bloomington, Indiana). Have something to add?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/288190/
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