The Chicago Tribune joins the list of city newspapers that are ending the free Internet ride. As Crain’s Chicago Business reports, the Tribune editor Gerould Kern said the paper is considering a “creative way” to charge. Kern was not making a formal statement, but confirmed the paper is committed to generating revenue (other than ad revenue) from its online content.
The most obvious option is a “metering program,” like the one that rival daily the Chicago Sun-Times implemented in December. The Times requires frequent online visitors (20+ page views per month) to buy a subscription. The Times charges digital-only subscribers $6.99 per month, with discounts for a full year subscription. Print subscribers can get digital content for $1.99 per month.
Another Tribune Co. property, the Baltimore Sun, put a metering system in place last October; it offers 15 free page views per month, then asks a $2.49 per week subscription, or $49.99 for six months.
Kern observed that advertising at one time provided 80% of Tribune revenue, but between 65 and 75% now. Advertisers cannot be expected to make up the different, thus, “The consumer has to pay more for the cost of news.”
Tribune Co. is hard up for revenue. It has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy since December, 2008, which drags on. A hearing before US Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey is tentatively set for May, but to consider a restructuring plan, but as RBR/TVR laconically observes, "Our prediction that Tribune will exit Chapter 11 before the 4th anniversary of its bankruptcy filing could come down to a photo finish. The day to light four candles on the cake is December 8, 2012."