The results of a University of Missouri survey show that small newspapers are taking the lead in charging for online content. Forty-six percent of publishers of daily newspapers under 25,000 circulation now require payment for at least some of their online content.
The survey was based on a random sample of all 1,390 U.S. dailies, and 301 interviews were conducted April 1-18 by the Missouri School of Journalism’s Center for Advanced Social Research. The response rate was 78 percent.
Of the papers that don’t now charge, the survey found 35 percent have plans to do so; another 50 percent may begin charging at some point. Only 15 percent of publishers said they had no plans to charge.
The Register-Mail last week implemented a system that charges readers for premium content on galesburg.com. For print subscribers, the cost for full online access is $1.95 per month. The cost to a non-subscriber is $5.95 per month. Readers get pop-up messages to let them know when they’ve clicked 20 premium stories in a month’s time and how to subscribe.
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