Chronicle Herald to charge for online content

[Reesor]

thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1150478-a-new-era-for-the-chronicle-herald

I believe New Brunswick went through this last year with one of their papers (T&T?). It's really unfortunate that newspapers have to go this route to make money. I won't be purchasing any online content, and I guess I'll be hoping that the Metro steps up their coverage of the Moose.

I wonder how this will affect Willy Palov, and if he'll still be able to tweet as much information as before.

[Penguins23®]

I can't name them all but New Brunswick has a BUNCH of pay to read online papers. They're all available on the same site though so you pay for one you get them all. T & T, Telegraph, Freddy Daily Gleaner, etc.

[wineguy]

I think all the Irving papers in NB charge for online content.

[SteveUL]

The Newspaper is a dying business. Twitter is quickly replacing it. When a newspaper puts out its morning edition, the news is no longer news ... anybody can ready the current events within an hour of it happening on twitter ... while newspapers have to wait until morning ... or the day after if they miss the 11:00 PM deadline (or whatever it is).

I can surf the stories from 7 or 8 Atlantic newspapers, and other regional news feeds (Global, CTV, CBC, etc.) long before the paper is on my doorstep. For example, the Cape Breton Post tweets links to all of its top stories as soon as the articles are ready ... so why bother buying the paper ? Using the pay wall will force the Reporters to keep their stories off twitter ... but I can find the story elsewhere for free from many different sources.

It is no wonder that Red Sox owner John Henry just bought the Boston Globe for a measly $70 million.

I don't see a solution for the Newspapers ... technology has bypassed them and they are becoming dinosaurs. There is still that large group of people (I'm one) that enjoy reading the paper with the morning coffee ... but it is dwindling quickly.

[CrazyJoeDavola]

Aug 29, 2013 8:13:34 GMT -4 SteveUL said:

The Newspaper is a dying business. Twitter is quickly replacing it. When a newspaper puts out its morning edition, the news is no longer news ... anybody can ready the current events within an hour of it happening on twitter ... while newspapers have to wait until morning ... or the day after if they miss the 11:00 PM deadline (or whatever it is).

I can surf the stories from 7 or 8 Atlantic newspapers, and other regional news feeds (Global, CTV, CBC, etc.) long before the paper is on my doorstep. For example, the Cape Breton Post tweets links to all of its top stories as soon as the articles are ready ... so why bother buying the paper ? Using the pay wall will force the Reporters to keep their stories off twitter ... but I can find the story elsewhere for free from many different sources.

It is no wonder that Red Sox owner John Henry just bought the Boston Globe for a measly $70 million.

I don't see a solution for the Newspapers ... technology has bypassed them and they are becoming dinosaurs. There is still that large group of people (I'm one) that enjoy reading the paper with the morning coffee ... but it is dwindling quickly.

Many people still like waking up and flipping open the paper to catch up. Not everyone want to click on twitter links instantly all day long.

But of course, that number is dying - likely with the baby boomers lol. I think there is still a market for a newspaper, but obviously nowhere near what it was.

While it sucks, I completely understand the Herald, and any paper, locking down their articles online. Not sure the cost, but many would probably pay some yearly rate to have an account to unlock all the content. Its what they have to do to keep making money. I think there is still a need for local news and stories.

[Reesor]

Aug 29, 2013 8:13:34 GMT -4 SteveUL said:

The Newspaper is a dying business. Twitter is quickly replacing it. When a newspaper puts out its morning edition, the news is no longer news ... anybody can ready the current events within an hour of it happening on twitter ... while newspapers have to wait until morning ... or the day after if they miss the 11:00 PM deadline (or whatever it is).

I can surf the stories from 7 or 8 Atlantic newspapers, and other regional news feeds (Global, CTV, CBC, etc.) long before the paper is on my doorstep. For example, the Cape Breton Post tweets links to all of its top stories as soon as the articles are ready ... so why bother buying the paper ? Using the pay wall will force the Reporters to keep their stories off twitter ... but I can find the story elsewhere for free from many different sources.

It is no wonder that Red Sox owner John Henry just bought the Boston Globe for a measly $70 million.

I don't see a solution for the Newspapers ... technology has bypassed them and they are becoming dinosaurs. There is still that large group of people (I'm one) that enjoy reading the paper with the morning coffee ... but it is dwindling quickly.

As you pointed out, if I want local news from Halifax, I can go to multiple different sources (CBC.ca, CTV.ca, The Metro etc). If there was anything unique about the chronicle herald that I was interested in, I'd be more inclined to purchase it.

I'm no business guru, but I would think that papers would get more money from advertising revenue than they would from charging people to view their material online. Obviously the more hits to your website, the more your advertising space is worth. They're probably going to lose 80-90% of their viewership by charging people.. maybe more than that. So no businesses will want to pay to advertise on their site.

I agree about the news paper. It is dying rapidly.

[Beaver Banker]

If you want to read more than ten, clearing your browser history resets the counter.

[Reesor]

Aug 29, 2013 8:44:08 GMT -4 Beaver Banker said:

If you want to read more than ten, clearing your browser history resets the counter.

Pretty sure any male aged 18-39 already automatically clear their browser history. So this shouldn't be a problem.

[Beaver Banker]

Aug 29, 2013 9:14:52 GMT -4 Reesor said:

Aug 29, 2013 8:44:08 GMT -4 Beaver Banker said:

If you want to read more than ten, clearing your browser history resets the counter.

Pretty sure any male aged 18-39 already automatically clear their browser history. So this shouldn't be a problem.

Incognito mode, my friend

Browsing in Incognito does not disable the CH article counter though.

[Smiley]

Aug 29, 2013 8:13:34 GMT -4 SteveUL said:

The Newspaper is a dying business. Twitter is quickly replacing it. When a newspaper puts out its morning edition, the news is no longer news ... anybody can ready the current events within an hour of it happening on twitter ... while newspapers have to wait until morning ... or the day after if they miss the 11:00 PM deadline (or whatever it is).

I can surf the stories from 7 or 8 Atlantic newspapers, and other regional news feeds (Global, CTV, CBC, etc.) long before the paper is on my doorstep. For example, the Cape Breton Post tweets links to all of its top stories as soon as the articles are ready ... so why bother buying the paper ? Using the pay wall will force the Reporters to keep their stories off twitter ... but I can find the story elsewhere for free from many different sources.

It is no wonder that Red Sox owner John Henry just bought the Boston Globe for a measly $70 million.

I don't see a solution for the Newspapers ... technology has bypassed them and they are becoming dinosaurs. There is still that large group of people (I'm one) that enjoy reading the paper with the morning coffee ... but it is dwindling quickly.

People have been saying the newspaper business has been dying since the radio was first introduced. Then people got on that bandwagon when the TV was introduced. Yet through both of these new media the "newspaper" business survived (and radio and TV were technically a greater challenge than the Internet because the Internet can compliment the newspaper industry).

The internet came around and people quickly said the newspaper business would die quickly. But here we are 20 years later and newspapers are still around. Now it's "twitter or social media" will kill the news paper business. Newspaper's have evolved and you don't need a paper on your doorstep but you can read "the paper" at work online or on your mobile device. Businesses adapt and the strong will survive much like in retail, the Internet can help retailers gain new customers and sell more products via ecommerce channels.

The internet and twitter actually are a great compliment to the newspaper business. Sure the newspaper business has evolved with the internet (now more focus online than in print). But it isn't dead just evolving, becoming more agile, leaner, and current. Less cost is needed for the online than traditional newspaper but newspapers are media outlets and as media outlets they have something people want "information."

You can't compare a 160 character tease to a full story. That is what twitter is...it's a teaser. For the Herald's new business model (paywall) twitter is actually a great resource and not a hinderance. They can tease all the stories to get people excited about what is behind the paywall and drive more people to want to pay.

As for the other "local" resources referenced...they don't have the depth the Herald does. cbc.ca's Nova Scotia section has about 15 articles up there. The Herald usually has about 10-15 for Metro Halifax alone (and a whole other section for the province). Good luck finding any quality Q info - The Metro is a good choice.

Paywalls can work and if the information you want is behind a paywall, people will pay for it. I get all my Nova Scotia business news from AllNovaScotia.com. It's a great online resource having probably over 20 Nova Scotia business articles a day...all behind a paywall. I pay for it because the information they provide is not found anywhere else and it's what I want to read about.

I read the Hearld to see what's going on in Halifax and Nova Scotia (Sports and news). I don't have a problem paying because I want this information and I know what I am getting. I don't pay for media if I don't trust or know the media...and that is where Twitter and social media compliments them. It's free advertising teasing what they have.

Although it seems the Herald needs a better strategy around limiting access and metering customers... ;-)

ps: I wouldn't consider $70 Million CASH offer measly and there were 3 other higher bids. Someone investing $70 million (cash) and the sale of the Washington Post for $250 million shows "newspaper" business still has life. They just need to evolve to survive.

[SteveUL]

Aug 29, 2013 11:44:45 GMT -4 Smiley said:

Aug 29, 2013 8:13:34 GMT -4 SteveUL said:

The Newspaper is a dying business. Twitter is quickly replacing it. When a newspaper puts out its morning edition, the news is no longer news ... anybody can ready the current events within an hour of it happening on twitter ... while newspapers have to wait until morning ... or the day after if they miss the 11:00 PM deadline (or whatever it is).

I can surf the stories from 7 or 8 Atlantic newspapers, and other regional news feeds (Global, CTV, CBC, etc.) long before the paper is on my doorstep. For example, the Cape Breton Post tweets links to all of its top stories as soon as the articles are ready ... so why bother buying the paper ? Using the pay wall will force the Reporters to keep their stories off twitter ... but I can find the story elsewhere for free from many different sources.

It is no wonder that Red Sox owner John Henry just bought the Boston Globe for a measly $70 million.

I don't see a solution for the Newspapers ... technology has bypassed them and they are becoming dinosaurs. There is still that large group of people (I'm one) that enjoy reading the paper with the morning coffee ... but it is dwindling quickly.

People have been saying the newspaper business has been dying since the radio was first introduced. Then people got on that bandwagon when the TV was introduced. Yet through both of these new media the "newspaper" business survived (and radio and TV were technically a greater challenge than the Internet because the Internet can compliment the newspaper industry).

The internet came around and people quickly said the newspaper business would die quickly. But here we are 20 years later and newspapers are still around. Now it's "twitter or social media" will kill the news paper business. Newspaper's have evolved and you don't need a paper on your doorstep but you can read "the paper" at work online or on your mobile device. Businesses adapt and the strong will survive much like in retail, the Internet can help retailers gain new customers and sell more products via ecommerce channels.

The internet and twitter actually are a great compliment to the newspaper business. Sure the newspaper business has evolved with the internet (now more focus online than in print). But it isn't dead just evolving, becoming more agile, leaner, and current. Less cost is needed for the online than traditional newspaper but newspapers are media outlets and as media outlets they have something people want "information."

You can't compare a 160 character tease to a full story. That is what twitter is...it's a teaser. For the Herald's new business model (paywall) twitter is actually a great resource and not a hinderance. They can tease all the stories to get people excited about what is behind the paywall and drive more people to want to pay.

As for the other "local" resources referenced...they don't have the depth the Herald does. cbc.ca's Nova Scotia section has about 15 articles up there. The Herald usually has about 10-15 for Metro Halifax alone (and a whole other section for the province). Good luck finding any quality Q info - The Metro is a good choice.

Paywalls can work and if the information you want is behind a paywall, people will pay for it. I get all my Nova Scotia business news from AllNovaScotia.com. It's a great online resource having probably over 20 Nova Scotia business articles a day...all behind a paywall. I pay for it because the information they provide is not found anywhere else and it's what I want to read about.

I read the Hearld to see what's going on in Halifax and Nova Scotia (Sports and news). I don't have a problem paying because I want this information and I know what I am getting. I don't pay for media if I don't trust or know the media...and that is where Twitter and social media compliments them. It's free advertising teasing what they have.

Although it seems the Herald needs a better strategy around limiting access and metering customers... ;-)

ps: I wouldn't consider $70 Million CASH offer measly and there were 3 other higher bids. Someone investing $70 million (cash) and the sale of the Washington Post for $250 million shows "newspaper" business still has life. They just need to evolve to survive.

It all depends on what you are looking for. I can find the current event stories I want to read up on without paying for them ... something more specific like you mentioned can survive. But a local/regional newspaper is there to provide those current events. Twitter gives me the headlines which will (or won't) spark my interest to read the story ... just like a headline in the paper does or doesn't ... the 160 (140) character limit is not a hindrance.

My local newspaper (Irving owned) has become overwhelmed with full page ads (car dealers, Cell phone providers, etc.). I have to sift through the ads to find the headlines. The first section alone typically has 6 full page ads in 12 pages of paper. I certainly realize that those full page ads keep the business afloat ... but they are driving me away from the product ... and I love reading the paper in the morning, but it is a tradition that I am getting away from.

I could never get use to reading the paper on my PC ... cell phones are always too small ... but now a tablet seems just about right and so now I spend my early morning sifting through articles from twitter with my coffee ... and when the paper comes at 7:45 I'll spend about 15 mins with it ... when it used to be 30+.

I agree that newspapers will evolve. But what is also evolving is the reader. It is the older guard that are the ardent newspaper readers ... while the younger guard wouldn't be caught dead with a newspaper. Us middlers will keep it going for awhile but most of us are pretty tech savvy and can easily move away from that paper.

Newspaper companies will simply evolve into News media sources ... drop the paper product and just become a web service for news. So when I say newspapers are becoming dinosaurs ... I am referring to that printed product.

Imagine this ... many people work all day to produce the articles, adverts, organize the classifieds, print the paper, ship bundles out to the carriers and shops, and hand deliver it to homes. Most of that work will be cut right out ... costs lowered ... a more streamlined business ... because the guy writing the article can have it approved by his Editor and then post it to the web-page himself.