MediaNews Memo Announces Paywall Plans

So it looks like MediaNews Group will be joining the paywall brigade. Again, of all the ideas for saving newspapers out there, charging for content is not a bad one. Will it be the answer to newspapers' prayers? Maybe, maybe not.

But MediaNews has other stated plans, including building separate sites for news and local community info/discussions. Why do they have to be seperate? Who knows. Seems like a boneheaded idea that will dilute their established local brands, but we'll wait to see how it's executed before a final judgement is made.

Overall, however, this is another instance where we must commend the company for doing something meaningful.

Of course, MediaNews is not exactly known as a model of corporate efficiency or innovation. Quality has been sliding at its papers as layoffs continue to erode its reporting corps. People aren't going to pay for content if they don't think the content is worth paying for. That means that the content must be relevant and original (not available elsewhere). And that means bolstering local coverage. It doesn't have to be hyperlocal, it just needs to be local, extensive and high-quality. That's the strength of local papers, and that's what people will pay for. Local TV and various web start-ups may try to poach the audience that wants local headlines but isn't necessarily interested enough in local goings-on to pay for it. But as long as those entities remain small players, breadth-of-coverage wise, there will be a sizable population willing to pay for something better.