Comments on: Wrap: Murdoch, NBR, Fairfax, paywalls, book clubs and Glastonbury

By: Julie Starr

Julie Starr — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:46:04 +0000

Hi Steve, thanks for your comment. Out of interest, what would news you trust look like? Where do you get your news now?

By: Julie Starr

Julie Starr — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:27:41 +0000

Hi Bill, yes the article about NBR’s near-instant online profitability was rather lacking in details, but perhaps more will be forthcoming in time. Anecdotally at least, your respect for Barry Colman is widely shared. I think most people would like to read a success story about charging for online content. Time will tell eh.

By: Steve Withers

Steve Withers — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:58:12 +0000

I’ll pay a modest amount for access to news I trust. Equivalent to what I might pay each day now to buy a newspaper.

But the trust issue is a BIG one. Fairfax and APN clearly favour “business-friendly” (as they see it) politics and hboth have openly championed the National Party in New Zealand for close to a decade now…and almost 20 years in the case of the old INL stable of newspapers.

I don’t want to pay for self-interested propaganda from foreign media moguls……and that is what we have been getting from the monopolist newspapers in our major cities.

By: Bill Bennett

Bill Bennett — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:13:47 +0000

I don’t for one moment believe The National Business Review’s online operation was losing money one day and then ten days later after imposing paywalls it was suddenly profitable. As a scientist would say, the link between the two events is not casual.

Mind you,I’m pleased to see the NBR’s online operation IS profitable at last and I’ve a huge amount of respect for Barry Colman as a publisher. If anyone can make things work, Barry can.

By: Fraser

Fraser — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:55:53 +0000

Great wrap up of all the announcements thanks.
Interesting times ahead.