It has finally happened. After twelve months (or more) of rumors and speculation the New York Times has announced that it will start charging for content in 2011. Here's the money quote from the press release: (more...)

The end is nigh. Again. But will it be the end of free content across the board (I've long thought that once the New York Times makes the switch everyone else will take it as a a cue to follow), or will it be the end of the NYT dominance on the web? We shall see. Over the weekend New York's Gabe Sherman created a bit of a stir when he reported that the Times was planning on making a final decision re paid content within a matter of days, and that some sort of metered system would likely be implemented come spring. (more...)

“Having lived through the Awful Aughts -- which began with news organizations vowing to get serious after 9/11 and ended with Jon and Kate, Octomom and Balloon Boy -- do you feel better served by the news establishment? The easy answer, of course, is YOU MUST BE KIDDING.”

Today is the 'State of The Times' meeting, the annual New York Times get-together to which publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. sometimes brings props -- he once famously produced a moose, perhaps this year he will go with the recently popularized chalkboard! (more...)

Oh the irony. Reports surfaced yesterday that the two stalwarts of showbiz journalism, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, are dramatically changing their respective business models in a fight for survival. This was exclusively reported by Nikki Finke, the premier showbiz blogger who many see as not just the future of digital-era reporting, but also the prime reason for the trades decline in relevance and viability. (more...)

Rupert Murdoch stated that the Wall Street Journal will begin to charge users to access the WSJ iPhone and BlackBerry content apps ($2/month for non-subscribers, $1 for subscribers.) He also told Goldman Sachs Communicopia attendees that the News Corp., NBCU, Walt Disney joint venture Hulu was looking into charging subscriptions to view TV content online. (more...)

Bill O'Reilly's rise to cable news superiority has been well documented. And in the context of the increased influence and popularity of his Fox News co-hort Glenn Beck, O'Reilly's claim of being non-partisan now seems less specious. But where is O'Reilly also dominating? In the pay-for-content game that nearly all newspapers have been wrestling with in the last few years. What is he doing so right? (more...)

It appears that the scarcity of information about the Alabama Crimson Tide is far more valuable than pedestrian local news, at least in the eyes of one local paper. Editor & Publisher reports that The Tuscaloosa News announced the creation of a new site devoted to University of Alabama athletics, TidesSportsExtra.com. The daily paper will charge $10 per month or $59.95 per year for access to the site, and will be separate from the paper's main Web page, which remains free. (more...)