Recently, my one local newspaper, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, began charging a subscription fee for their online news content. My first reaction, a couple months ago, was annoyance when some of the articles were still available for free and others weren't. Now, it appears that any article link I click on brings me to a paid-subscription login page. I ask myself, should news content consumers be forced to pay for their local news?
It's not that I don't understand that newspapers need an income source to provide quality news. I know writers and reporters need to make a living. The problem is that for more than a decade in my experience, the content was available online for free. I am still interested in reading the local news, but my first instinct is to not pay for something that I can find for free. Television stations freely give away their content. Social media keep individuals in the loop too. Local content is not exclusive to the Caller-Times.
So why would a company make a decision that may drive even more consumers away? I know their print edition has been failing to acquire new membership. A few years ago, I would walk past their stand outside of local grocery stores, avoiding eye contact, because I wouldn't pay for free content. Maybe charging online subscription fees is a risk they are willing to take. Is there no way to solicit ad-space to local companies? Can local-themed merchandise be sold? Perhaps, others may be compelled to fork over the monthly fee as low as $9.99 a month to keep the newspaper afloat, but I am inclined to cut my losses and move on. Unless, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times can find a way to keep their online content free.
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