Sunday, May 19, 2013

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Anchorage Daily News Implements Paywall for Online Content
New subscription service for the state’s biggest newspaper
By Matthew F. Smith


ANCHORAGE - If you're used to reading the Anchorage Daily News online, you're going to have to start paying for it. Alaska's largest newspaper is now putting the majority of its content behind an online paywall.

If you want unlimited access to the paper online, you'll need a subscription.

In a note to subscribers, publisher Pat Doyle said more than 1.4 million people access the paper online and on mobile devices each month.

The paper is advertising digital-only packages starting at $1.54 a week, while a bundled “online and paper” subscription is billed as $2 a week. Existing subscribers have additional options.

Doyle declined to be interviewed today, but the editor of another online news outlet, the Alaska Dispatch, said it remains to be seen how much revenue can be gained from a paywall.

“Time will tell whether something like this will actually help them,” Tony Hopfinger said. “But all indications from folks I've talked to and the response we've got from Alaska Dispatch is that people are simply not going to pay for online access.” Hopfinger said the Dispatch, an online-only newspaper, is financed entirely through online advertising. He said the organization has never considered a paywall.

Casual readers will be able to access up to 15 articles a month without a subscription. More information on the various options for the paper’s new digital subscription can be found on its online FAQ.