Online Newspapers Charging for Content

Being an online media buyer, you would think the buyer in me would say “Yeah! Good for you newspaper groups for starting to charge for online content” but I feel quite the opposite. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times dabbled in it in recent years but it seemed ok for them, since they are prestigious, nose-in-the-air papers and you would expect it from them.

Plus, there was still a number of non-paid portions of their web site to read through. But, now to hear that groups like The Denver Post and other daily papers across the country are going to start charging for their online content is ridiculous. Times are tough and printed papers are folding at a crazy rate but to really ask the struggling consumer population to pay for something that has been free to date is tough to swallow.

And guess what, Paper CEOs: People will find the same content elsewhere, for free! That’s the beauty of the Internet. That story will be someplace else and you’re going to lose loyal visitors.

So, good luck with your new pay-to-play model. You might want to try to boost ad sales online and try out some new ad placements, like this one from ShortTail Media. They not only are bringing new life to TV commercials online but I bet they also make some decent cash while doing it.

About the Author: Amy Rushia

With nearly ten years experience with online marketing and media placement, Amy brings a wide range of knowledge and expertise to the agency. At Off Madison Ave, Amy oversees the online media planning and buying for a variety of clients, including the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, Macayo’s and the Arizona Federal Credit Union, creating campaigns that best suit each client and their needs, along with testing new techniques and placements to garner the best results. Amy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. She holds a minor in Communications.

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