Sun-Times Media Group to Begin Charging for Online Content

Image Credit: Seth Anderson

Starting Thursday, the Sun-Times Media Group will begin a "metered" pay plan for online content.

The plan isn't a sudden decision; STMG CEO Jeremy Halbreich outlined the paywall plan two years ago. The future is now.

“We think the time is long overdue for us to begin charging for our content. It is certainly award-winning content and we need to find new ways to support it.”

The new plan gives readers 20 free page views at any Sun-Times affiliated site every 30 days. Once those are gone, readers will be required to purchase an online subscription for continued access. The subscription rates are $6.99 every four weeks, or $77.87 a year. Sun-Times home-delivery subscribers may pay $1.99 ever four weeks. The paywall was developed by Press+, whose co-founder, Steven Brill, has long worked with publishers to "reclaim their business on the Web."

The Sun-Times would be following in the steps of the Daily Herald, which started their own metered system in September. Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert has charged for "The Ebert Club" newsletter since March 2010.

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By Chuck Sudo in News on December 6, 2011 4:50 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Tankboy

Since DeRo left the Sun-Times I haven't really read it at all. So whatevs.

JoeChicago

I agree that newspapers have a hard time charging for content in today's age. They missed the boat long ago when they first put the content online for free. However, the newspapers are bleeding money and they need some new revenue sources.
I am extremely annoyed when people say they found out about some news item on twitter or facebook. Actually, it was first reported by a news organization and then people started retweeting or posting it. Without the news organizations society would struggle to disseminate news.

Nicholas

There is a Sun Times online?

ScooterLibbby

This is the end of the Sun-Times.
Fewer & fewer buy the actual paper as it's mostly worthless. They moved the printing to the Trib's plant because they couldn't justify the cost of operating their own with such small circulation.
All it really is are a bunch of columnists, some of whom are total garbage.
Sneed is the worst, but Stella Foster is really close behind as a truly atrocious excuse for a columnist, Mary Mitchell most of the time, Roeper much of the time & a piss-poor sports section.
On top of that, they've laid off so many copy editors, the paper is often unreadable.
And charging your home delivery customers for online use is just nuts.
The NY Times doesn't do that, they include online access in the print subscription price.

High_n_Dry

Agreed, the Sun Times only provides opinion, ones that are not that interesting or at least do not create enough controversy to garner attention like The Trib with anti-cycling rants. However, if you clear your cookies when the 20 "articles" allowed is reached you can keep reading, it works with the NYT.

They are all dinosaurs when it comes to business practices but the NYT will continue to exist because of being able to write above the 5th grade level and from providing actual reporting.

Really though, who is going to read 20 articles from the Sun Times in a month?