The Richmond Times-Dispatch announced last week that it would be one of the first news outlets to adopt the Google One Pass, which allows publishers to charge readers for online content.
Most consumers have become accustomed to reading news for free online, and revenue from printed newspapers has been falling. With Google One Pass, publishers can set fees and select which content will cost money.
BizSense contacted Rick Thornton, vice president of audience and content development for the Times-Dispatch, to talk about the move.
Below is an edited transcript.
Richmond BizSense: How did this opportunity with Google come about?
Rick Thornton: Media General and Google have long been in contact over a number of things, particularly our digital media group. One Pass came up last year as a possibility, and it just sort of stemmed from there.
RBS: How will it work exactly?
RT: One Pass allows folks a simple way to access content across the digital spectrum using multiple devices. The next step for us is how we will employ this.
What’s great about it is that it lets the publisher choose your own destiny in terms of what fees they charge or how they plan to implement it. It is very flexible in terms of how it works.
RBS: The Times-Dispatch has been free online since it launched a website. Why start charging now?
RT: I think this gives us a chance to reassess that. I strongly believe that our content is of value. I think the thing we produce has value. It gives us the opportunity, if we are doing something truly unique and valuable to consumers, to charge a fee to view that content.
It is a really important issue confronting the industry right now. Not just Richmond, not just newspaper sites, but something going on across spectrums. Where do you draw that line and say, “You know what? We expect to be paid for some of the content we are investing heavily in to be able to produce.”
RBS: Why hasn’t the Times-Dispatch tried a paid model before now?
RT: Part of it is that we have been rapidly expanding into the digital space, not just with two big websites but with mobile apps on different devices. We have been rapidly spreading our wings to make sure material is available in those places. Now is the chance to partner with a company like Google.
One of the big advantages of this would be the single sign-in mentality, where you could use the same sign-on to purchase content all over the web. It is not something propriety to us. That is one reason One Pass is particularly attractive to us, because it is part of a larger network that makes it easier for the customer.
RBS: What is the time frame for deployment?
RT: We are shying away internally from any time frame; sometimes you say what you are going to do and little things pop up that you are not expecting. The next step is to take a full look at all the things we are doing and identify the items we might start to consider charging a fee for. It could also be new things. We don’t want to limit ourselves; we might create new digital content.
RBS: Do you consider this an experiment, or is it the way things are going to be forever?
RT: That could take several years to answer. I am committed to the concept of addressing the issue that we have been giving away a lot of content for a very long time. The time has come to reassess that, not just in terms of the concept but for making it easy for us and easy for the consumer. Certainly I think there are so many folks in the media industry looking at this kind of thing, saying the time is right to reassess the way we’ve done business.
RBS: Is a single online story worth more than single story printed in the paper?
RT: We’re not on that road yet. We are still trying to figure that out. More to come on that.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch announced last week that it would be one of the first news outlets to adopt the Google One Pass, which allows publishers to charge readers for online content.
Most consumers have become accustomed to reading news for free online, and revenue from printed newspapers has been falling. With Google One Pass, publishers can set fees and select which content will cost money.
BizSense contacted Rick Thornton, vice president of audience and content development for the Times-Dispatch, to talk about the move.
Below is an edited transcript.
Richmond BizSense: How did this opportunity with Google come about?
Rick Thornton: Media General and Google have long been in contact over a number of things, particularly our digital media group. One Pass came up last year as a possibility, and it just sort of stemmed from there.
RBS: How will it work exactly?
RT: One Pass allows folks a simple way to access content across the digital spectrum using multiple devices. The next step for us is how we will employ this.
What’s great about it is that it lets the publisher choose your own destiny in terms of what fees they charge or how they plan to implement it. It is very flexible in terms of how it works.
RBS: The Times-Dispatch has been free online since it launched a website. Why start charging now?
RT: I think this gives us a chance to reassess that. I strongly believe that our content is of value. I think the thing we produce has value. It gives us the opportunity, if we are doing something truly unique and valuable to consumers, to charge a fee to view that content.
It is a really important issue confronting the industry right now. Not just Richmond, not just newspaper sites, but something going on across spectrums. Where do you draw that line and say, “You know what? We expect to be paid for some of the content we are investing heavily in to be able to produce.”
RBS: Why hasn’t the Times-Dispatch tried a paid model before now?
RT: Part of it is that we have been rapidly expanding into the digital space, not just with two big websites but with mobile apps on different devices. We have been rapidly spreading our wings to make sure material is available in those places. Now is the chance to partner with a company like Google.
One of the big advantages of this would be the single sign-in mentality, where you could use the same sign-on to purchase content all over the web. It is not something propriety to us. That is one reason One Pass is particularly attractive to us, because it is part of a larger network that makes it easier for the customer.
RBS: What is the time frame for deployment?
RT: We are shying away internally from any time frame; sometimes you say what you are going to do and little things pop up that you are not expecting. The next step is to take a full look at all the things we are doing and identify the items we might start to consider charging a fee for. It could also be new things. We don’t want to limit ourselves; we might create new digital content.
RBS: Do you consider this an experiment, or is it the way things are going to be forever?
RT: That could take several years to answer. I am committed to the concept of addressing the issue that we have been giving away a lot of content for a very long time. The time has come to reassess that, not just in terms of the concept but for making it easy for us and easy for the consumer. Certainly I think there are so many folks in the media industry looking at this kind of thing, saying the time is right to reassess the way we’ve done business.
RBS: Is a single online story worth more than single story printed in the paper?
RT: We’re not on that road yet. We are still trying to figure that out. More to come on that.
Will print subscription customers get online access for free?
They will have to go free for the basic service and then charge a premium for more interesting or important articles. However it is all free on the net. One can aggregate all the news one wants for free. The Richmond Times does not bring anything to the table that other free sources bring so charging for what is basically already free will be a tough road to hoe. What they need to do is think of what would be of interest to local readers to pay for that is not in other papers. I think Richmond BizSense is closest… Read more »
The current online edition is, in my opinion, of marginal value with poorly written articles and little, if any, in depth reporting.
I know I won’t be paying to view anything they have available.
They should get Google to help them with their search function, its absolutely terrible and makes it impossible to find old articles. Even typing the exact title of an article doesn’t necessarily guarantee it will be in the results, completely ridiculous.
Partner with Google? Kind of like how I partner with PayPay to buy stuff on eBay. Ridiculousness abounds. Newspapers are confronting many issues. One is the idea that they’re investing in content and deserve to be paid for it. Just because you spend money on something doesn’t automatically mean it will be worth anything. Newspapers for a long time have been producing low engagement general interest content who’s primary value was tied to the paper it was printed on. Now that stuff is everywhere- and someone will always find a reason to provide it for free. That leaves local content,… Read more »
@Litt said: “The current online edition is, in my opinion, of marginal value with poorly written articles and little, if any, in depth reporting.
I know I won’t be paying to view anything they have available.”
My sentiments exactly. Their online edition is, well – lame. I will never pay for the content they claim to be news.