After years of offering their online content to consumers for free, newspapers are increasingly searching for ways to charge for stories and other information to offset reduced revenue from print advertising and circulation.
That represents an industrywide shift in thinking. Not long ago, most publishers believed it was more important to boost the number of visitors to their websites to attract more advertising. Now, that strategy is frequently blamed for accelerating the decline of print subscriptions and newsstand sales.
The number of US newspapers charging for some or all access to their online content has more than doubled to 50 this year compared with 2010, according to the Newspaper Association of America. But there is no consensus on how to attach cost to content. Across the United States, papers large and small are taking varying approaches, based on their products and markets. Industry officials say it’s too soon to say which type of fee method might work best to generate revenue.
