A paid subscription also will allow you to interact with the site and its staff, and participate in discussions, daily chats and comment threads; free readers won’t have their voices heard. (I have to say, this is not a bad idea. Many popular newspaper Web sites have comment threads that are out of control and populated largely, it sometimes seems, by idiots who drown out the sane and smart voices. Charging to be part of the conversation is one way to create more rational, intelligent and useful discussions — albeit smaller — between journalists and readers, and readers and other readers.)

Dorian

The Cambridge Chronicle reported last week that there were four bidders. The high bidder was an outfit that runs several other newsstands in the Boston area. At $140 per square feet for the 451 square foot landmark, the rent will actually be a bit higher than the previous owner paid. Reports of the death of Out of Town News were pre-mature.

and the ONA site: http://journalists.org/2008conference/.

Later, here and/or mediaflect.com.

WSJ.com Editors to DORIAN show details 7:40 PM (1 hour ago) Reply

__________________________________
NEWS ALERT
from The Wall Street Journal

July 21, 2008

New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez has signed on with the William Morris Agency. William Morris, the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based talent representation company, has a client list that includes some of the biggest names in entertainment, sports and the corporate world. For Mr. Rodriguez, the move marks the latest turn in his relationship with Scott Boras, one of baseball's most successful and controversial agents. Mr. Boras, who has represented Mr. Rodriguez throughout his career, said he will continue to represent Mr. Rodriguez in any baseball-related negotiations.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121667673378471533.html?mod=djemalertNEWS

We had some discussion here last summer on the scenarios that might justify a free strategy, wherein lower ad rates and foregoing $60 million or whatever in subscription revenue could be made up by 10x greater readership.

Apparently the new owner of Dow Jones is backing off. A report on a Wall Street Journal bureau chiefs’ meeting last week says that “Murdoch has scaled back his ambition to make WSJ.com entirely free.” According to one who was there “He said he originally thought making it free would bring in the biggest audience, but that after studying it it’s not as simple as he thought.”

It rarely is.

CNET.com has, they say in an email, decided to turn off Newsburst, their attempt at a feed reader page.
They will provide a link for people to import their favorite feeds to other means.

"We are studying it and we expect to make that free, and instead of having 1 million (subscribers) having at least 10-15 million in every corner of the earth."

No ambiguity there.

XM and Sirius
March 1, 2007; Page B7

The thought that a merger between XM and Sirius could create a monopoly is absurd ("Making Radio Waves," Review & Outlook, Feb. 21). They would offer only one of many content options for consumers. It's a moot point anyway. By the time the merger is completed, satellite radio will have won the battle with radio but lost the war. When I subscribed to XM three years ago, I immediately quit listening to traditional radio. Satellite radio is simply a superior choice. However, now that my 927 favorite songs reside on my iPod, I have little need for radio of any kind. Why scan the dial in hopes of finding a song that I like when my iPod contains only songs that I like?

Scott Stolz
Tarpon Springs, Fla.