A senior member of editorial staff at the Wolverhampton-based Express and Star, which began charging for digital content yesterday along with the Shropshire Star, has said the launch “went relatively well and interest has been high”, and added that a subscription model should not be seen as a paywall.

“In a way, we don’t see this as a paywall because if you’re an existing six-nights-a-week newspaper reader, then you get access to the premium website, smartphone app and iPad app for free,” deputy editor Keith Harrison told Journalism.co.uk.

In a statement about the newspaper’s new charging model, Harrison said: “Effectively, only people who want the digital-only package will come across a conventional paywall, giving them access to far greater depth of content than has previously been available on our non-subscription expressandstar.com site, which will remain alongside ’24’.

“Obviously, the new site will evolve as time goes by and, as always, we will listen to feedback from our readers.

“Overall we’re excited to be trying something innovative, both strategically and technologically, and we’re confident it will be a success.”