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Freebies

With Murdoch working to make the Wall St. free online, and with this discussion I found about free online newspapers, I wondered what the next gen journos think on the topic.
Sure the pundits, publishers and higher-ups have all had their say - but we're the ones who will be staffing and running the next-gen newspapers.
I think newspapers should most certainly be free online. As the discussion linked to above so eloquently states:
"Sure, people subscribe to the print edition in substantial numbers, but as we’ve discussed before, they’re really only paying for delivery, not the content. Users do pay for delivery online, just not to the newspaper company. They pay it their broadband provider."
Now share what you think?
Published Tuesday, September 25, 2007 2:29 PM by SonyaSmith
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Comments

# re: Freebies

Tuesday, September 25, 2007 7:41 PM by ElysseJames
I also think it should be free.
The compromise I think would work would be using a subscriber's code to the daily to allow them online content access. Magazines do this.
That way subscribers get the whole package - the print edition and the online version.
Broadcast mediums would have to offer both free because the audience doesn't pay for the television/radio service (except for special channels, and that's a whole different discussion).

# re: Freebies

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 11:51 PM by Brea Jones
I don't think that is a whole different discussion, Elysse.

Critics used to say no one would pay for television, and at first people didn't. Viewers paid for the television set, bunny ears, etc. But how many of us pay for cable or satellite TV now? How many pay for Tivo or DVR?

How is XM and other satellite radio working?

I think looking at how other mediums approach this issue should be part of the discussion.
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