This is purely speculation at this point, but it seems as if a long-awaited effort to make the news industry profitable may soon bear fruit as newspapers across the nation are currently meeting to discuss strategies to charge readers for online content. Recently, the San Jose Mercury News announced that they will soon begin the practice, and quiet rumors have suggested that the Contra Costa Times may be next.
That would be interesting, because MediaNews Group owns the CCT, as well as the Long Beach Press-Telegram. In fact, the two papers actually share a lot of content, which can seem strange when a Bay Area newspaper reports on hyper-local Long Beach coverage, as is the case with this story about LBCC and this one about a local fire. So if the Times takes that leap toward charging for online content, could the P-T be next?
Phone messages left with Press-Telegram publisher Mark Ficarra and General Manager Joe Brenneman were not returned at time of publishing, but MediaNews representatives are in attendance at the previously mentioned industry summit, which is very hush-hush – but if you’d like to read a great account of what is probably going on there, check out this blog from The Atlantic’s James Warren (yes, he actually compares it to a meeting of mob bosses).
The strategy would seem to make the most sense for locally-based papers like the CCT and P-T, rather than larger international outlets like the Los Aangeles Times or New York Times. Local papers provide information that won’t be found anywhere else, while an LA Times story on President Obama or the movie industry could be found in any number of places, so – in theory – readers would be less willing to pay for it. But if the Press-Telegram decides to charge, there may not be any other way to get your local news fix. Except for, you know, smaller local websites…
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor