Make Good Business sense and saves readers' time.
Ultimately we shall be paying for reading on-line.
Funnily this move could boost the print media.
Following is another way of looking at this.
NEW YORK—In an effort to highlight content of interest to the subscribers it values most,The New York Times announced Monday it would move all articles you could not possibly give a shit about unless you make more than $200,000 into one handy section. “From now on, people looking for helpful hints on renovating a $4 million Manhattantownhouse won’t have to waste time sifting through articles on the crisis of public education,” Times executive editor Bill Keller said of the new section, which will be printed in smudge-proof ink so it doesn’t soil the soft, pink hands of its readers. “They can flip straight to TimesElite for the latest on society weddings, Tuscan getaways, and the rising cost of boat winterization.” Keller added that if the experiment proved successful, the Timesmight create a similar section for moms in Brooklyn.
Time has decided to dive headfirst into an issue that has bedeviled many a news organization before it: how to cure online readers of their addiction to free content.
But Time’s approach is more a process of weaning readers than forcing them to quit cold turkey. Starting this week, it replaced most of the content that appeared in its current issue with abridged articles and summaries online. The move is meant to drive readers to newsstands and Time’s iPad applications, where the magazine costs $4.99.
Richard Stengel, the managing editor, says Time plans to experiment and will continuously adjust what it decides to keep off its Web site.
“I think we’ll see what works and doesn’t work,” Mr. Stengel said in an interview by phone. “We’ll adapt and change. We’re in the hunt like everyone else to figure this out.”
By pulling its print content off its Web site, Time is taking a step that other American newsweeklies have so far avoided. Whether the move is enough to push more readers into paying for Time content is unclear.
The magazine will continue to make its columnists and vast archives available online. And once an issue is two weeks old, its content will be posted on the site and available to the public.
Time expects its decision to have little effect on its readership online. About 90 percent of the traffic on Time.com involves content that appears only online, the company said.
Another Time Inc. property, People, has left articles from its magazine off its Web site for some time. People’s online editors often try to entice readers by displaying an image of the magazine cover along with an excerpt from the cover article. A small teaser informs readers that if they want more they should go to the newsstand and buy an issue.
Time’s online approach was similar, though it included lengthy excerpts from the week’s magazine articles with the disclaimer: “The following is an abridged version of an article that appears in the July 12, 2010, print and iPad editions of Time.” Eventually the magazine plans to offer an online subscription that will provide readers with access to all Time content.
Edward K. Moran, a media analyst with Deloitte, says Time’s approach is one he expects other media outlets to adopt in the coming months.
“Quite frankly I’m surprised it’s taken this long,” Mr. Moran said. “Everybody wants to jump in the pool, but no one wants to be the first one.”
Mr. Stengel said the decision was an effort to draw a brighter line between what the magazine provided free and what it charged consumers to read.
“We kind of wanted to draw a line in the sand,” he said. “We want to remain a vigorous and important part of the conversation. There are some things that are necessary to be part of that. But we will experiment.”
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