News Subscriptions

[JPS]

I see the News and a bunch of others are charging for online subscriptions. Is anyone paying? It's hard to imagine paying for online content, particularly when it's all bad news about a crappy team.

[zonabb]

Another nail in the coffin of journalism. As a former reporter and avid news reader since I was 10, I feel like the idea of being the eyes and ears of the people and providing insight and checks and balance for our govt long ago passed the media by. And in a one newspaper town, there is no competition to challenge the BN, which as a paper can't hold a candle to real big city papers. So by charging for poor content written by underskilled, under informed reporters, it's easy to walk away. It is odd after 25+ years of reading the paper everyday to stop cold turkey but I doubt I'm missing anything!!!! Good riddance.

[dwight in philly]

i did not sign up , but i must admit i miss reading it. hopefully the numbers that do not sign up are significant enough to scare their advertisers..

[DDD]

i did not sign up , but i must admit i miss reading it. hopefully the numbers that do not sign up are significant enough to scare their advertisers..

 

Me too. I went to the BN website daily to read about the Bills and other local happenings but I will not subscribe.

[Rubes]

I certainly would agree that newspapers and journalism aren't what they used to be. Still, expecting that they just give away their content online for free is just nonsense. Many people don't realize this but the BN has been one of the few papers in the country that has been in the black for many years now. They are a very well run paper. If you don't like the journalists, think the content is poorly written, or you don't like supporting the paper or their journalists, by all means, don't read it anymore.

[BuffFromBuffalo]

Not real happy about this, particularly because I live in Denver. The Denver Post tried this years ago and finally gave up. Hopefully the Buffalo News will do the same. Won't pay for it. Used to deliver the Courier Express, liked that paper better anyway!

Edited November 12, 2012 by BuffFromBuffalo

[bbb]

How much does it cost? Isn't it really cheap?............I subscribe so I don't have to pay online.

[DDD]

Not real happy about this, particularly because I live in Denver. The Denver Post tried this years ago and finally gave up. Hopefully the Buffalo News will do the same. Won't pay for it. Used to deliver the Courier Express, liked that paper better anyway!

 

It's your freedom, your press, read the Courier Express.

[LabattBlue]

I certainly would agree that newspapers and journalism aren't what they used to be. Still, expecting that they just give away their content online for free is just nonsense. Many people don't realize this but the BN has been one of the few papers in the country that has been in the black for many years now. They are a very well run paper. If you don't like the journalists, think the content is poorly written, or you don't like supporting the paper or their journalists, by all means, don't read it anymore.

A voice of reason.

[theesir]

I have no problem with paying, but they changed their site about a month before turning on the paywall and now the site SUCKS! It is impossible to find content, the layout is more like a college blog. I really hate the redesign. Additionally, their new iPad app only refreshes in the morning. That means at 6pm on game day, when you go out to the app to read some post mortum, all you get are the stories published before the game started. And they expect you to PAY for that.

I know people who work at the News who are beyond embarrassed about the whole new website.

[plenzmd1]

I certainly would agree that newspapers and journalism aren't what they used to be. Still, expecting that they just give away their content online for free is just nonsense. Many people don't realize this but the BN has been one of the few papers in the country that has been in the black for many years now. They are a very well run paper. If you don't like the journalists, think the content is poorly written, or you don't like supporting the paper or their journalists, by all means, don't read it anymore.

 

agreed!

[JPS]

They should combine some monthly Buffalo-centric fluff publication with on-line. Or give away a hoodie. SOMETHING. I would pay for that. But to pay for someones recap of what I saw or someone else's opinion of what I saw just doesn't make sense. Supporting journalistic content just doesn't do it for me.

 

I don't know why, but I need another reason to subscribe.

Edited November 12, 2012 by JPS

[PS 56]

I signed up. It was $20 for a quarter for on line only. I am enjoying reading it in my spare time. I will probably let it lapse after the season and then pick it up again next year. It would be great if there was a special rate for out of towers...but I am not holding my breath.

[notwoz]

I certainly would agree that newspapers and journalism aren't what they used to be. Still, expecting that they just give away their content online for free is just nonsense. Many people don't realize this but the BN has been one of the few papers in the country that has been in the black for many years now. They are a very well run paper. If you don't like the journalists, think the content is poorly written, or you don't like supporting the paper or their journalists, by all means, don't read it anymore.

 

I'm not an economist, or an MBA, but I recognize that giving your product away for free is not a practical business model.

 

I subscribed. It's not that big a deal. If I decide after a year that it's not worth the price, I won't renew.

 

For what it is, the News is a pretty decent newspaper. It's not a great newspaper, but I've seen many worse newspapers in cities that are bigger than Buffalo.

Bottom line, it all boils down to choice. As Rubes said, If you don't like the News? Don't pay for it.

[pimp on da' net]

I'm not an economist, or an MBA, but I recognize that giving your product away for free is not a practical business model.

 

I subscribed. It's not that big a deal. If I decide after a year that it's not worth the price, I won't renew.

 

For what it is, the News is a pretty decent newspaper. It's not a great newspaper, but I've seen many worse newspapers in cities that are bigger than Buffalo.

Bottom line, it all boils down to choice. As Rubes said, If you don't like the News? Don't pay for it.

 

 

Well said. I subscribed also just because when I travel it's easier to follow what's going on back home.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

For what it is, the News is a pretty decent newspaper. It's not a great newspaper, but I've seen many worse newspapers in cities that are bigger than Buffalo.

 

And it has the single worst layout of any newspaper web site that I have seen.

[notwoz]

And it has the single worst layout of any newspaper web site that I have seen.

I won't argue that point -- although I can't say I've seen the web site of every newspaper in the world. And, the News seems to have issues with technology in general -- but maybe the Buffalo mindset is living in the past and not the present or future. That said, the content is pretty decent.

[bbb]

I'm not an economist, or an MBA, but I recognize that giving your product away for free is not a practical business model.

 

I subscribed. It's not that big a deal. If I decide after a year that it's not worth the price, I won't renew.

 

For what it is, the News is a pretty decent newspaper. It's not a great newspaper, but I've seen many worse newspapers in cities that are bigger than Buffalo.

Bottom line, it all boils down to choice. As Rubes said, If you don't like the News? Don't pay for it.

 

I totally agree. The two times I lived away from Buffalo, before the Net, I still subscribed and the News mailed to me. Even though I got it a day or two late, I wasn't going to get better Bills coverage anywhere. I would have killed to have this set up back then.

[Marv's Neighbor]

I'm holding out for the Courier Express.

[bbb]

Phil Ranallo lives!