Murdoch: Papers Need to Charge for Web Access

Journal subscription plan 'not a gold mine, but it's not bad'

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 3, 2009 12:56 PM CDT

(Newser) – The New York Times ought to be charging people to read its content, and so should every other newspaper that wants to survive, Rupert Murdoch said today. “People reading news for free on the Web, that’s got to change,” the News Corp chief said at a Washington conference, Reuters reports. Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal is one of the few papers that charges for its web content.

Murdoch said the Journal's set-up is “not a gold mine, but it’s not bad.” The paper was charging for access before Murdoch bought it, and he briefly considered making it free but decided not to. The Times, by contrast, abandoned its “TimesSelect” subscription service when it determined that ads generated more revenue.

Wall Street Journal access can be yours for just $1.99 a week.

In this Nov. 2, 2008 file photo, Rupert Murdoch Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, News Corporation, delivers the 2008 Boyer lecture series, A Golden Age of Freedom in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)

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Murdoch: Papers Need to Charge for Web Access

Journal subscription plan 'not a gold mine, but it's not bad'

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Murdoch: Papers Need to Charge for Web Access

Journal subscription plan 'not a gold mine, but it's not bad'

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Rupert Murdoch • New York Times • Wall Street Journal • online newspapers • News Corp

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

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More Newser Stories

Times of London Dragged Into UK's Hacking Scandal

Another Rupert Murdoch newspaper being probed, says lawmaker

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News Group Newspapers appears to acknowledge cover-up

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@wendi_deng is not actually Mrs. Rupert Murdoch

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Renewed interest in former News International exec ahead of Murdoch testimony

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Newser By Users

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