Net To Newspapers: Drop Dead Newspapers are cockroaches. No...

Net To Newspapers: Drop Dead

Newspapers are cockroaches. No matter what is introduced into the media ecosystem, the oldest of the Big Media survives. Despite decades of doomsayers, newspapers prospered through radio, through TV and cable, through video games, through the Internet ....

..... Not so fast. Suddenly, even sober Wall Street analysts think something new is afoot.

"The new and troubling reality for newspapers is that even if they excel as purveyors of information to appreciative audiences, they still face tough business terrain. "They can try to be the destination where you go online and [can] be really successful with citizen journalism and blogs," says Fine. But such innovations are "not going to pay a lot of bills."

Newspaper execs are groping for some killer app, but nothing has yet taken hold. Charging for online content works for The Wall Street Journal, where Web-only subscriptions cost $79 -- still far below the $215 print subscription -- but no other brand-name newspaper dares to follow. The New York Times will charge Web users to read its columnists' prose later this year, but the Los Angeles Times just lifted the fee for its arts listings site, calendarlive.com. Washington Post Co. (WPO ) Chairman Donald E. Graham has said he won't charge for washingtonpost.com".

http://yahoo.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_27/b3941024.htm

:)
LC