Murdoch: Web sites to charge for content

[onehandle]

oh, darn. now wherever will we get our "news."
____________________________

(CNN) -- Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch expects News Corporation-owned newspaper Web sites to start charging users for access within a year in a move which analysts say could radically shake-up the culture of freely available content.

Speaking on a conference call as News Corporation announced a 47 percent slide in quarterly profits to $755 million, Murdoch said the current free access business model favored by most content providers was flawed.

"We are now in the midst of an epochal debate over the value of content and it is clear to many newspapers that the current model is malfunctioning," the News Corp. Chairman and CEO said.

"We have been at the forefront of that debate and you can confidently presume that we are leading the way in finding a model that maximizes revenues in return for our shareholders... The current days of the Internet will soon be over."


http://edition.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/05/07/murdoch.web.content/index.html

[Lasher]

1. I've managed to live without a subscription to the WSJ.

I'll continue to survive without access to Murdoch's corporate news media.

[merh]

2. Guess what Murdoch

Folks only access your crap because it's free. Most won't bother if it isn't free.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Good luck with that.

[sellitman]

4. Closing the Barn Door after the horses are out huh?

Have fun trying.

[abluelady]

5. I Can't See It Working

But if it does, we can be assured all the news sites on line are going to try.

[sellitman]

6. The NYT's tried this and failed.

What makes Murdoch think his paper is more important than the Times?