According to reports, Newsday plans for pay for access to its online content, making it one of the first major newspapers to go that route, while others, save the Wall Street Journal, have gone to a free model.
Now, the big question: Will the business model work?
Here’s a snippet from a story in today’s Newsday
While specifics of the plan remain unclear, Cablevision chief operating officer Tom Rutledge – on a conference call Thursday – drew a link between declining newspaper fortunes in general and plans for Newsday in particular.
“When we purchased Newsday, we were aware of the long-term issues facing the traditional newspaper industry,” Rutledge told analysts Thursday. “We plan to end the distribution of free Web content and make our newsgathering capabilities a service to our customers.”
One expert quoted on Long Island Business News’ Web site thinks Cablevision’s plan won’t work:
“The economy is very, very bad,” said Kevin B. Kamen, the president of Baldwin-based Kamen & Co. Group Services. “People are not in the mood to pay extra for anything. They are out of work. They don’t have the money.”
What do you think?
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And remember, Newsday Publisher Tim Knight first intimated that the paper might move to a paid model at a Press Club of Long Island panel earlier this month.
Take a look:
February 27th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Why would anyone pay for Newsday when we can go to the Nassau County website and read Tom Suozzi’s news releases for free?
February 27th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I pay the Dolan family enough with a monthly check to Cablevision.
February 27th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I actually think Cablevision is smart to try new business models. Let’s face facts: Newsday is DOOMED. The print model will be dead in a few years. The ad-driven online model can’t support old print newsroom costs. If you’re going to die anyway, you might as well try every cure possible before you kick the bucket.
February 27th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
It doesn’t specify if the content would be free to hard copy subscribers. As a paying subscriber, there is no way I would pay extra for the online content. I still like reading real books, newspapers and magazines…
July 13th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I like reading the newspaper, evengetting the ink on my hands. My 21 year old daughter enjoys it, too- she would never pay for Newsday content online-Nor would I.
There are so many free online news outlets-so many good free online news outlets, why would I pay Newsday?
The latest version of the paper, and online, has come to look like a cheap imitation of the Daily News; it all looks dumbed down.
No thanks.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
I’d pay for the Times, but not Newsday. In switching to the new web format Newsday took a step backwards if you ask me.