3 ms·

That’s just a different set of customers (“patrons”).

• dredmorbius 2y ago
  No. For most of the listed orgs, it's a different business organisation (not-for-profit rather than shareholder-based), the organisations aren't intended to run an operating profit, and the content is available to far more than just those who pay directly for access. Mind that in the case of ad-supported print media, the principle customers (the advertisers) weren't identical with the set of readers. But access was largely limited to those who subscribed directly, bought a newsstand copy, or could access a copy obtained by either method. In either case the operation was generally intended to run a profit. There have also been free papers, either supported entirely by advertising (frequently "entertainment weeklies"), or published as propaganda organs for a given organisation, frequently religious or political.
  • dredmorbius 2y ago
    Late add for clarity, on last 'graph: Free papers might be either for-profit (ad-supported) or not-for-profit (propaganda). Ultimately there's a rather blurry line between advertising and propaganda: both are messaging modes in which the publisher is more interested in distribution than the reader.