Newsday: entombed behind its pay wall
p2pnet news view Freedom | P2P:- Ruposaur Murdochus Corporatus stands out in the dark, dank swamps it inhabits, said p2pnet just before Christmas last year.
“It exists by swallowing weaker species, believing it will absorb their attributes, thus perpetuating its own existence,” we said, going on:
“However, it’s moving in ever decreasing circles, with all that implies, and in one of its last desperate attempts to stave off its inevitable extinction, is attempting to market its droppings.”
Other ancient beasts such as the New York Times harkened.
Oh. And Newsday.
‘ … the web site sucks’
In October, 2009, the Dolans (that’s James on the right) bought Newsday, the Long Island daily, for $650 million — and promptly put its web site, newsday.com, behind a pay wall, says The Observer.
The plan, or hope, was people would cough up $5 a week, or $260 a year, for “unfettered access to newsday.com”.
Now, at the end of February, how may punters have signed up?
Thirty-five. Count them. 35.
“The web site redesign and relaunch cost the Dolans $4 million,” according to publisher Terry Jimenez and, “With those 35 people, they’ve grossed about $9,000.”
wow
And, “In that time, without question, web traffic has begun to plummet, and, certainly, advertising will follow as well,” says the story, going on, “Anyone who has a newspaper subscription is allowed free access; anyone who has Optimum Cable, which is owned by the Dolans and Cablevision, also gets it free. Newsday representatives claim that 75 percent of Long Island either has a subscription or Optimum Cable.”
Not only but also, “In the short time that the Dolans have owned Newsday, it’s been a circus,” says The Observer, continuing >>>
When they were closing the deal to buy the paper in May 2008, they had their personal spokesman scream at an editor who assigned a reporter to visit the Dolans, seeking comment; there was a moment back in January of last year, when Newsday editor John Mancini walked out of the newsroom because of a dispute over how the paper was handling the Knicks; in the summer, the paper refused to run ads by Verizon, a rival; Tim Knight, the paper’s publisher, and John Mancini, the editor, eventually both left.
The paper, which traditionally has been a powerful money maker, lost $7 million in the first three quarters of last year, according to Mr. Jimenez at last week’s meeting.
Now, “The view of the newsroom is the web site sucks,” says one staffer in the story. “It’s an abomination,” says another.
Nielsen Online says traffic has fallen “since the paywall went up”.
However, “A Newsday spokeswoman sends in the following statement,” adds The Obsever, quoting her as stating:
“Our strategy is proceeding according to plan. By focusing on providing Newsday and Optimum Online customers free access to a site with hyper-local news and utilities, we have a more engaged, increasingly local audience.”
..… and identi.ca
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
p2pnet – Why would anyone pay for MySpace music?, November 17, 2009
New York Times – New York Times to build Pay Wall?, January 18, 2010
The Observer- After Three Months, Only 35 Subscriptions for Newsday’s Web Site, January 26, 2010
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January 27th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
“Our strategy is proceeding according to plan.”
Yes. A plan to extinction. It seem like the music industry plan.
These are good plans beneficial to the public since it will clean the scene from the parasites who represent a danger to our societies.
January 27th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
I just visted their web site.
it is a joke!
January 27th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Once a great paper, now only good for T.P. Congratulations Dolan and company, you screwed up Cablevision, you made MSG a pay service and now we can’t even read Newsday because you’re all greedy money hungry bastards! Oh well, there’s always the Daily News, unless some other greedy bastard gets his hands on it!