|
As DawnFalcon and asjogren have pointed out, the primary revenue source for newpapers is adverts, not subscriptions. To say, as bookwerm does, that subscribers pay for producing articles and content and pay reporters salaries is stretching the truth a bit, IMO. At best subscribers pay for paper stock and distribution costs.
Since there will be no paper or distribution costs with a digital edition I cannot see any moral reason to charge for a digital edition. They will still be garnering advert revenue but not incurring any delivery costs. And I definitely cannot imagine them removing the adverts from the digital edition. Indeed, I expect those adverts to be increased and more intrusive.
The only reason, in my mind, for the charge is greed, pure and simple. They can so they will.
|