Newspapers Can't Figure It Out.....

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/02/28/hartford-courant-launches-new-website-sans-pay-wall/

 The Courant, like other metropolitan and local newspapers across the country, has struggled in recent years to retain readers in light of the proliferation of news on the Internet, with its circulation down over 26 percent from 179,066 in 2006 to 131,564 per week this year according to figures from the Alliance for Audited Media and the Harvard Business Journal. In 2011, the paper laid off an undisclosed number of employees. This came after long-running financial difficulties whittled the paper’s news staff down to 135 in 2009 from a high of 400 in 1994. 

Newspapers are stupid. 

 Just stop all printing (which saves lots of money) and put everything online.  Don’t charge readers anything and sell advertisements on web (which is what they are already doing.) 

 Nobody needs a physical newspaper anymore.  Save money on printing.  Save money on delivery.

 I watch my local TV news (and it is offered free) and the TV station still makes money with advertising.  Newspapers should be able to do the same on the web. 

 But if you lay off all your reporters (and your content sucks) then nobody is going to your site.  Then advertisers will go elsewhere.  It is about having a good product.  The delivery method is irrelevant.  Whether it is on a physical piece of paper, or on a computer screen, shouldn’t matter. 

 People paid for newspapers in the past because it was physically printed and delivered to them.  If that goes away there is no reason to charge.  Write good stories and the business side will take care of itself.