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Journal readers have more disposable income than typical newspaper readers, and the WSJ is a valuable brand, so its subscribers are willing to pay extra (where
by sethg 18y ago
Journal readers have more disposable income than typical newspaper readers, and the WSJ is a valuable brand, so its subscribers are willing to pay extra (where "extra" means "more than zero") for the quality. There are other niche markets where this works: e.g., LWN.net is supported mostly by subscriptions.
But the history of mass media publications charging for content, as Kinsley describes, is a history of one failure after another.
- mattmaroon 18y agoYou don't think NYT is a valuable brand or his great reader demographics? I certainly wouldn't argue charging is right for every newspaper. At the risk of getting some Michael Dell-style egg on my face later, I'd say that most of them ought to just shut down now and give what little they can get via liquidation back to the investors.