Who will pay for online news? The question has long boggled the news media, which has largely failed to make money on their Web sites using advertising, even though millions use the free news they provide. But publishers and broadcasters are redoubling their efforts to sell news for money, and the offerings have generated -- if not yet profits -- at least some buzz. ABC exec: "I think many users, certainly not all of them, are prepared to pay for high-quality service and high-quality content." The key to success is gearing news packages to the interests of individual subscribers, beyond the simple personalization settings available on some Web sites. [ Originally from Jeremy. Another segment that is being missed here is the research segment. I would actually pay a subscription to various online newspapers if: A) Articles were never modified after being originally submitted or, if modified, you could find the original as well as subsequent modified articles. B) All print articles were available online. C) A sophisticated search engine were in place. A lot more can be said here, but specifically mechanisms for searching reference-able material (author, date begin/end, etc.). D) Ability to link to the articles are references. I don't care if it requires a registration at the specific news site as long as they have an entry-level "free" registration so that subscription costs would not hinder the ability of people to read my reference. Anyone else? --Rek ] Will Consumers Pay for News Webcasts? |