Hearst is considering charging for online content for its
San Francisco Chronicle and developing a for-fee tablet app, according to unnamed employees at the paper, who were reportedly told of
the plan last month. The paywall would likely be a "hard" deal, with subscribers paying one fee and probably little to no unpaid access, unlike the
New York Times' metered system.
This news was reported by what's presumably one of the
Chronicle's online competitors: the Bay Citizen, which was founded in 2010 as a "nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to
fact-based, independent reporting on civic and community issues in the San Francisco Bay Area."
According to Bay Citizen, the proposed digital pay changes at the
Chronicle have "been a
source of confusion and anxiety for a staff that has been wrestling with massive layoffs and dwindling circulation in recent years."
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at Bay Citizen »