More paywalls?

[BillyT]

I was running through my usual set of (mostly free) newspaper websites, and I see that the Des Moines Register is going to a paywall.

Not surprised, and I certainly expect more.

What are papers like New Orleans and Birmingham planning?

Would make sense for them to go, too.

 

[wicked]

Every Gannett paper is going to a paywall.

 

[podunk press]

All pay walls are going to do is take eyeballs away from the traditional newspaper sites and put them on the free blogs.

My brother, a blogger, loves them.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

All pay walls are going to do is take eyeballs away from the traditional newspaper sites and put them on the free blogs.

My brother, a blogger, loves them.

At my shop the numbers have held steady, increased in some months, compared to a year ago.

 

[lantaur]

Or to TV sites which hire away newspaper reporters </crossthread>

 

[lantaur]

All pay walls are going to do is take eyeballs away from the traditional newspaper sites and put them on the free blogs.

My brother, a blogger, loves them.

At my shop the numbers have held steady, increased in some months, compared to a year ago.

I don't want you to out yourself, but if possible would be curious the size of your paper. Smaller shops for sure have "advantage" with a pay wall in that there's little if any outside competition for the news they are reporting (i.e. small town).

 

[StaggerLee]

Or to TV sites which hire away newspaper reporters </crossthread>

Most TV sites will have to go to a paywall also. I know the TV station in our market said that once we go to a paywall (err, subscription model), they will follow.

I know a lot of people are ****ting on papers for doing this (and I was one of them ****ting on papers), but I think it may work.

I know plenty of people who pay for content on the internet (rivals.com, silly upgrades for silly games, etc.). I think initially it will be rejected, but eventually people will realize if they want to read about their local news from a "trusted" source, they'll have to pony up the $10 or so to get the information.

Of course, the key will be providing that content so they feel like they're getting their money's worth. Having a day-old story as your lead won't cut it.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

All pay walls are going to do is take eyeballs away from the traditional newspaper sites and put them on the free blogs.

My brother, a blogger, loves them.

At my shop the numbers have held steady, increased in some months, compared to a year ago.

I don't want you to out yourself, but if possible would be curious the size of your paper. Smaller shops for sure have "advantage" with a pay wall in that there's little if any outside competition for the news they are reporting (i.e. small town).

Latest ABC numbers had us 22,000 daily, a little less than 25K on Sunday. It's a college town/small metro (population 100,000ish). Big, big metro area is a two hour drive. Triple-A city is an hour.

 

[Riptide]

I figure paywalls will work locally after a while, but it will cut down on readers browsing through papers in other areas. Or do they expect everyone to subscribe to all their favorite papers?

 

[StaggerLee]

I figure paywalls will work locally after a while, but it will cut down on readers browsing through papers in other areas. Or do they expect everyone to subscribe to all their favorite papers?

That was a question I raised in our meeting. I'm a transplant here and my wife and I still check our old newspapers from our hometown. One is already behind a paywall and the other is getting close. It sounds like there's not going to be a "Gannett package" option to allow you access to more than one paper.

The other interesting question was raised about hurricane coverage. We live in an area susceptible to hurricanes, and tons of people will leave the area during a storm. Will those people have to subscribe to get vital information about when/if they can return to the area?

I have a feeling those are all things that weren't discussed when the big wigs held their meetings.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Most seem to let you have 10-15 clicks in a month before they hit you up for money.

 

[slappy4428]

Most seem to let you have 10-15 clicks in a month before they hit you up for money.

Strib, for example, is 20. Delete my cookies, refresh the page and continue...

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

I figure paywalls will work locally after a while, but it will cut down on readers browsing through papers in other areas. Or do they expect everyone to subscribe to all their favorite papers?

That was a question I raised in our meeting. I'm a transplant here and my wife and I still check our old newspapers from our hometown. One is already behind a paywall and the other is getting close. It sounds like there's not going to be a "Gannett package" option to allow you access to more than one paper.

The other interesting question was raised about hurricane coverage. We live in an area susceptible to hurricanes, and tons of people will leave the area during a storm. Will those people have to subscribe to get vital information about when/if they can return to the area?

I have a feeling those are all things that weren't discussed when the big wigs held their meetings.

From what my former shop has said in their explanations of the paywalls, any "major, breaking news", including weather alerts and things of that nature, would be free clicks. So none of that would be behind the paywall.

 

[Matt Stephens]

Gannett shop I just joined has had impressive online subscription success so far, but the print product is also growing quite rapidly under the new leadership, which translates directly. I've been against pay walls in the past, but it seems to be working here. The 15 stories design while logging IP addresses is also a good way to get readers coming from out of the coverage area without slapping them for a charge they'd never want to pay, while showing locals examples of a quality product worth subscribing to.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Gannett shop I just joined has had impressive online subscription success so far, but the print product is also growing quite rapidly under the new leadership, which translates directly. I've been against pay walls in the past, but it seems to be working here. The 15 stories design while logging IP addresses is also a good way to get readers coming from out of the coverage area without slapping them for a charge they'd never want to pay, while showing locals examples of a quality product worth subscribing to.

And where is this, assuming you're already using your real name and not outing yourself?

 

[Stitch]

Gannett shop I just joined has had impressive online subscription success so far, but the print product is also growing quite rapidly under the new leadership, which translates directly. I've been against pay walls in the past, but it seems to be working here. The 15 stories design while logging IP addresses is also a good way to get readers coming from out of the coverage area without slapping them for a charge they'd never want to pay, while showing locals examples of a quality product worth subscribing to.

And where is this, assuming you're already using your real name and not outing yourself?

If you think Matt Stephens is an assumed name, you haven't paid enough attention.

 

[BillyT]

Every Gannett paper is going to a paywall.

I had that feeling.

 

[Stitch]

Most seem to let you have 10-15 clicks in a month before they hit you up for money.

Strib, for example, is 20. Delete my cookies, refresh the page and continue...

Be careful with proclaiming that, there are others who will call you a thief because you had the audacity to clear a cookie on your own device.

 

[Matt Stephens]

Gannett shop I just joined has had impressive online subscription success so far, but the print product is also growing quite rapidly under the new leadership, which translates directly. I've been against pay walls in the past, but it seems to be working here. The 15 stories design while logging IP addresses is also a good way to get readers coming from out of the coverage area without slapping them for a charge they'd never want to pay, while showing locals examples of a quality product worth subscribing to.

And where is this, assuming you're already using your real name and not outing yourself?

That's my name. Fort Collins. 25K circulation, up about 3K from two years ago. Granted, I'm still on an emotional high from starting a new gig and might be a little biased, but it's one of the few papers I've seen that has a morale in the newsroom which is extremely high. Interviewed at a couple of large metro dailies this spring and the people were nice, but it just seemed so, well, "quiet," I suppose you could say. Sports staff here has just jumped from three (plus SE) to five. A few of my college colleagues also just joined the staff and I think all of us took a decent circulation cut to be a part of this project (for lack of a better term), making this paper something great again and, so far, the numbers are promising.

 

[JRoyal]

We've been behind a metered wall here in Tulsa for over a year now, and things have surprised many of us. Most people don't hit the wall (it's something like 10 or 15 stories, I think), and those who do have been pretty willing to pay. It's been pretty successful overall really, esp. when people realized they didn't have to pay for the print and digital products separately; all print subscribers get access to all our digital products (except for Kindle, I think, which is because of Amazon).