Re:You Can’t Sell News by the Slice
by ijntybvrt on Tuesday February 10, 2009 @01:18PM
(#475601)
Because people will pay for 'NEWS' but not for newspapers.
People will pay for upto the minute stock market data rather than the 15min delayed version, they will pay $1000s for market reports, they will pay for WSJ articles on companies they want to buy.
But most newspapers aren't selling news - they are selling entertainment. I don't pay to find out the death toll in some plane crash the day before - I pay for a newspaper to read columnists, editorials, cartoons. That's why sunday papers are the largest and most profitable.
It's like the difference between paying to watch a movie and reading the plot summary fro free on IMDB.
But most newspapers aren't selling news - they are selling entertainment. I don't pay to find out the death toll in some plane crash the day before - I pay for a newspaper to read columnists, editorials, cartoons. That's why sunday papers are the largest and most profitable.
It's like the difference between paying to watch a movie and reading the plot summary fro free on IMDB.