Rupert Murdoch plans charge for all news websites by next summer {Guardian}

[eppur_se_muova]

Times and Sun readers to pay as loss-making Murdoch declares end to free-for-all

Andrew Clark in New York
The Guardian, Thursday 6 August 2009

The billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch suffered the indignity of seeing his global empire make a huge financial loss yesterday and promptly pledged to shake up the newspaper industry by introducing charges for access to all his news websites, including the Times, the Sun and the News of the World, by next summer.

Stung by a collapse in advertising revenue as the recession shredded Fleet Street's traditional business model, Murdoch declared that the era of a free-for-all in online news was over.

"Quality journalism is not cheap," said Murdoch. "The digital revolution has opened many new and inexpensive distribution channels but it has not made content free. We intend to charge for all our news websites."

The Australian-born press and television baron was speaking as his News Corporation holding company slumped to a $3.4bn (£2bn) net loss for the financial year to June, hit by huge writedowns in the value of its assets, restructuring charges and a dive in commercial revenue.
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Earnings from cable networks rose by 31% to $1.67bn but the group's television division, including its Fox stations in the US and Star networks in Asia, saw profits fall from $1.12bn to $174m.
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more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/06/rupert-murdoch-website-charges



Quality journalism is not cheap ... and now cheap journalism is gonna cost, too? :shrug:

[trumad]

1. Quality journalism

omg

[atreides1]

2. OK

What the hell would Murdoch know about "quality journalism"?

[GodlessBiker]

3. Good. Less people will read it.

[RandySF]

4. Murdoch is no different from others

GM, Dell and Murdoch's empire follow a business model that Republicans have for governing: Do everything on the cheap and treat their customers/consumers like shit. GM went bankrupt and Dell is suffering. I can't wait to see what happens to Murdoch.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. You forgot step 3: Whine for gov't handouts ...

and dare the government to let all your workers lose their jobs.

[NashVegas]

6. Good For Him

If others follow, maybe professional news outlets will be able to make enough money to pay for real reporters.

[samsingh]

7. i don't think their readers can afford to pay - we'll see