As debate continues over whether news outlets should charge for online content, my mother struggles with a similar dilemma.
My mother is an avid news consumer, she enjoys nightly newscasts and her daily paper. But I’ve watched a phenomenon of sorts develop over the last few months. My mother now loves the convenience of reading the local paper on her laptop, while the actual paper rests at the end of our driveway. After my mother reads the online edition the freshly printed paper goes directly in to the recycling bin!
While my mother has a new found love for the internet, she has no need for the paper delivery. But she enjoys and appreciates the local coverage and says she’d continue to pay, but the paper has become a hassle and another morning chore.
In the case of my mother the paper has outdone themselves. They’ve created a better, more convenient product that trumps the paper version. So, who’s to say people won’t pay for online coverage? What if the local paper is a trusted, desired brand that community members can’t get anywhere else?
Newspaper executives are wondering the same thing–will consumers pay? A recent study shows people will pay for online content if it’s highly targeted toward them and if they can engage with the content. The study also cites that as time goes on people will be more willingly to pay for content.
Find out more about the study here and what industry insiders have to say.
Tags: charging, journalism, online content, paying for news
