Newspaper Web Sites Support Subscription Fees A recent release by The Media Audit, that tracks media in 85 metro markets, found that newspaper subscription fees for access to online web
sites for two of its measured papers not only didn't discourage subscribers, but viewership increased. "We were surprised by the research findings," says Bob Jordan, co-chairman of The Media Audit.
"The research makes it pretty clear that the switch to paid access can be made - at least in some markets -- without damaging the long term prospects of the site," he added.
According to The
Media Audit, the Albuquerque Journal site, initiating its subscription fee in July, 2001, attracted 13.6 percent of the adults in its market "during the past 30 days" in 2000 and 15.0 percent during
2001. The Media Audit household survey was performed during October/November of 2001, four months after the initiation of the subscription fee.
For the Tulsa World the story is the same, but the
numbers are much more impressive. In The Media Audit for 2000, the Tulsa World site attracted 16.8 percent of adults to its site. That survey was conducted seven months prior to the initiation of the
subscription fee of June, 2001. Four months after the fee was imposed The Media Audit surveyed the market again and found that 18.2 percent of adults in the Tulsa market had accessed the World site
during the past 30 days. The World charges $5 a week and $45 per year for access to its site and archives.
These two newspapers were the only ones among the sixteen with fee-for-access web sites
that were in markets served by The Media Audit.
Find out more here.