http://thinkforwrite.com/Article/The-Great-Fire-of-Bungay/190813

http://www.crystalbridedreamsblog.com/

1. “Consumers perceive that content produced by news organizations is valuable to them.”

To many, printed news (paper or digital) is a type of freely-available entertainment, useful when you’re in a place that doesn’t have TV or internet, or when you’re surfing at work.

The number of users willing to pay for news is, as we all know, dwindling.

After the newspaper industry has finished consolidating, laying off, and collapsing, there will probably be equilibrium between the remaining players and available ad dollars – my lame prediction.

2. “Consumers will actually make content purchases when they are confronted with many free options.”

I’m still laughing. Not going to happen, particularly when you realize that today’s kids (under age 35) have been weaned on freebie digital culture. “I pay $50/mo for my internet connection, why do I have to pay for news?!” is the reaction I keep witnessing.

Some pretty lame assumptions given that the papers must be paying through the nose for consultants to advise them on these issues…

As for the paid model,, perhaps 95% of content must be free and charge for 5% of the remaining premium content, and stringent laws must be in place for plagarism, copyediting , un authorised usage, publication and re publication without syndication.

Even syndication per story eg: 50 cents a story to each could be explored.

Base an online news model of subscriber revenue instead of advertising? I guess at this point if any of the monopolist newspaper owners believe that, they deserve to fail.

Erecting a “pay wall” on the Internet will be like spraying themselves with invisible paint.

On the bright side, the move will be a Godsend for the likes of Politico, the Christian Science Monitor, Raw Story and tens of thousands of tiny but efficient innovative web-based news and information operations ready to step in and treat potential customers with respect instead of trying to mug them.