End of free news?

[chaggle]

Does anyone read the Times Online any more? I don't just because you have to register. They haven't even started charging yet!

[brianp]

Does anyone read the Times Online any more? I don't just because you have to register. They haven't even started charging yet!

I stopped reading Times Online months ago; like the print edition, it's going downhill.

As for charging for news, it was tried before by the New York Times and abandoned as a failure. Now I see that the NYT are going to try again with a scheme similar to The Times. I wonder why they think it will work this time? Personally I can't see it catching on. I think the remaining free sources of news will gain a large part of the readership of the sites which introduce charges, and they will gain advertising revenue as their readership increases. So, ironically, the sites which remain free might end up more profitable than those which charge.

If all else fails, we'll always have the good old BBC news website which is probably the best of the bunch anyway, and cannot charge by statute.

[asthmatic camel]

I'll miss the Brookes and Scarfe cartoons.

[chaggle]

I'll miss the Brookes and Scarfe cartoons.

Ah! But there's Matt in the Telegraph

[reptilians]

The only way it will really take off is if all the major players get together and decide to all go paid at the same time. That will give people a motive to actually pay or get their news from a less credible source with less then perfect writing abilities.

[Drop Bear]

What sort of idiot would choose to get the news from Murdoch outlets anyway, even if free?

Just so. Rupert actually begun here in Adelaide. His yellow rag is still printed here.

I watch about 2 hours of news a day,from free to air public broadcasting; The ABC (like the BBC)and SBS (Special Broadcasting Service)which has a high ethnic content,including some terrific European and Asian films and TV series. Last night a Danish cop show started. It's quite good.


This month the ABC began a 24 hour news channel.I was worried it would be like the ones in the US,which are beyond appalling,but it's not. The content is high quality and varied. The coverage of the current election campaign is fantastic.

I rarely buy anything on line, and certainly will not pay for news. I do not have cable TV because I can't have what I want at reasonable price. IE movies and documentaries for about $40a month,free installation. That's what it's worth to me.

[alganbagerap]

I've only realised after reading this thread that the news feeds from the Grauniad, Torygraph and Daily Fail, have recently disappeared from my Yahoo home page; leaving only Yahoo news.
This is worse than dire, almost Sub-Murdochian.
Support print journalists, buy a Big Issue.

[asthmatic camel]

This month the ABC began a 24 hour news channel.I was worried it would be like the ones in the US,which are beyond appalling,but it's not. The content is high quality and varied. The coverage of the current election campaign is fantastic.

I wish I could say the same about BBC News 24. They seem to have real problems finding stories to fill the available time. Recently, a madman ran amok in some obscure town in the North East of England, and we were treated to endless hours of footage consisting of an empty field and informed comment about said field.

It's even worse when a celebrity dies/has an affair or, crucially important, a BBC employee retires, catches a cold or, heaven forfend, shucks off his mortal coil.

Well worth the mandatory licence fee.

[Croydon Bob]

Well worth the mandatory licence fee.

"The Licence fee is far too low. It should be at least £400. For the excellent service the BBC provides; I'd gladly sell my house and all it's contents to help the BBC."

Whenever I'm annoyed at the poor coverage on BBC News 24 I turn over to Murdoch's Sky News and remember that it could be oh so much worse.

[Drop Bear]

Well worth the mandatory licence fee

Licence fee? Radio and TV licence fees were abolished in the 1970's here.

We have 5 separate government channels ABC 21,22 and 24(news) and SBS 1 and 2.
SBS has advertising.

Overall ,the standards of these channels are far above that of the commercial channels. The ABC shows the best British programmes,and virtually no reality shows or US sitcoms. SBS shows the World Cup and Tour De France..

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SBS= Special Broadcasting Service. Has things such as the news in Indonesian,as well as some great European and Asian movies and TV series. Fortunately not many from Bollywood as they usually go for about thee ours and have no gratuitous sex.

[smudge]

I've only realised after reading this thread that the news feeds from the Grauniad, Torygraph and Daily Fail, have recently disappeared from my Yahoo home page; leaving only Yahoo news.
This is worse than dire, almost Sub-Murdochian.
Support print journalists, buy a Big Issue.

I noticed that too. Mildly annoying as it was handy having the headlines for all three rags visible. Still, easy enough to visit the (still free) home sites. Though I won't bother with the "Daily Fail" too often....