Here's the latest 4MR audio report from MediaShift. In this week's edition, I look at the latest move by the New York Times to survey print subscribers to see if they will pay for access to the website -- on top of what they're paying for the print edition. Plus, the Associated Press launched a Twitter feed and blog with Yahoo News to cover the upcoming Sotomayor confirmation hearings Monday. It's a departure for the wire service to include reader questions, feedback and input while covering a live event.
Check it out:
Background music is "What the World Needs" by the The Ukelele Hipster Kings via PodSafe Music Network
Here are some links to related sites and stories mentioned in the podcast:
New York Times to decide how to charge for its website by August at the Telegraph
New York Times Asks Subscribers: Is It Wrong to Charge for Online Content? at Poynter
NYT Tests Online Pay Scenarios On Print Subscribers; Decision By August? at PaidContent
The New York Times Asks Readers If They'd Pay For Online Version at Mashable
The Supreme Court and You at Yahoo News
The Associated Press tries courtside crowdsourcing Sotomayor coverage at Nieman Journalism Lab
Gannett Blog's Hopkins Ends Run Today at E&P
Here's a graphical view of last week's MediaShift survey results. The question was "When did you believe Michael Jackson really died?"
Also, be sure to vote in our poll about what you would pay (if anything) to access NYTimes.com.
Mark Glaser is executive editor of MediaShift and Idea Lab. He also writes the bi-weekly OPA Intelligence Report email newsletter for the Online Publishers Association. He lives in San Francisco with his son Julian. You can follow him on Twitter @mediatwit.
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1 comment so far, Add Yours
Ged Carroll said:
July 11, 2009 9:08 AM
Good luck to the New York Times, but I don't hold out much hope if they start charging for content on nytimes.com again.
The problem is that news can be obtained free and the quality of analysis can be similarly obtained free from bloggers and other influentials.
The New York Times would need to do two things:
- Find different content that consumers will pay for - it ain't news
- Become a business tool rather than a consumer publication
- Think about alternative funding models like the sponsored day pass that runs on Salon.com
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