A lengthy report from US-based Editor&Publisher looks at news payment models and whether it would be more sensible to focus on online advertising.
It opens with a quote from Ken Doctor, affiliate analyst at Outsell Research and author of the blog Content Bridge:
“The industry needs to turn its attention back to advertising. It has long been what has sustained the American press, and it’s an important revenue source going forward.
“With online revenue flagging as much as it has, attention has been turned and diverted. If advertisers aren’t going to save us online, maybe the readers will save us online. Even if [paid content] worked, it adds only a small revenue stream.”