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Although I respect the opinions of fellow GFY'ers. A media billionaire should probably be at least listened to. It's not like he got rich by being lucky, he's had a string of successes. He's a total ass, but he knows how to make money.
Most news sites are losing money. This move could be like the airlines, where they wait for one to move on prices then they all do it. Murdock could take the heat for going to a paid model, but the other sites could slowly fall in line. They are already heading for the dumpster anyway, so many have nothing to lose by testing a paid model, they are just afraid to be the first. Murdoch is not afraid as he's been telegraphing this for months and he is hearing support from other news outlets.
But think about what could be offered in a paid news model. Instead of just reposts of AP reports like you get now, you get actual reporting. Take healthcare reform for example, maybe someone could actually read the bill and report on the actual details of the program. No news site is doing that now. Discussion boards with people who actually pay for the site and have a real discussion unlike now, when you read a news story and the comments on a free news site it degrades into racial slurs no matter what the subject is. I would pay $5 a month for a site like that. In depth news, smart discussion, limited advertising.
I don't think he is talking about getting AP reposts for a fee. I'm sure there will be value added to the paid model.
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