KCStar to put up "paywall" for digital content on Dec. 5th
 

Well.....bye





http://www.kansascity.com/KansasCityStarPlus/




From the publisher
It has a few different names: The metered system, the all-platform-access program, the digital subscription, but mostly folks just call it The Paywall.

Later this year, The Kansas City Star will join hundreds of other news operations in moving to whatever it is you’d like to call it. Essentially, we’re going to charge a little bit for people to get our content, but you’ll be able to access it in a multitude of ways.

So, beginning on Dec. 5, The Star is adding all of our digital subscription products for our home delivery subscribers so that you will be able to enjoy one inclusive print and digital “Star+” subscription package.

Now, I understand that being charged for something that you’ve gotten for free isn’t fun. But providing unlimited access across all platforms for a small amount makes good sense.
This all-access way of packaging our content addresses the new ways people come to us, and provides incredible flexibility for our readers.

Readers will have unlimited access to our suite of digital products, including kansascity.com, e-Star replica edition, mobile sites, digital back-issues and archive databases. This provides subscribers with access on smart phones, tablets, PCs and more.

With e-Star – our digital replica of The Star’s print edition -- articles, photographs, even in-paper ads and crossword puzzles, can be emailed, printed and saved.

I recognize that charging even a few cents more isn’t necessarily popular, but we hope you’ll recognize that it is a logical strategy to enable us to provide quality local news and information in the increasingly myriad ways people reach us.

We are glad more people than ever read The Kansas City Star, as technology continues to enable us to reach more people in more ways. Thank you for reading and for helping us continue to serve and grow in this community, as we have for more than 131 years.
Mi-Ai Parrish

I won't miss the Star.

Usually only read it for sports, and most of the good writers have moved on to better things.

I'm gonna miss her. Oh looky there. I got a bite.

I guess as of December 5th I'll be getting my local news only from the tv stations websites.

Im surprised they are not owned by Gannett, Gannett has been doing this, not bothered me at all, plenty of other sources out there.

This. I can live without Adam Teicher's hard hitting questions.

Consider it like a donation. Like PBS. I'd hate to see them just disappear. KC Star is one of the last good newspapers.

Sadly, this is a business decision. Will rely on the kindness of strangers when a Royals article appears that is a must read. LOL

I see no issue with this at all. That is a lot of free content and they are in the business to make money. I think all newspaper websites should have some form of metered use. It helps keep them in business which helps save jobs.

This reads likes the Stars obituary. RIP

all news comes from the US military. for free.

Good riddance. Star.

uhh so how much will it cost? i hate when people do this. Its a fantastic price and you get to access alllll the information that we have(for only 100 dollars a month!)!!!

I bid thee farewell, KC Star...

yeah i guess ill just be getting my news from national FREE news websites now. Not like the star was informing me about amazing articles when I wake up in the morning. 2 dead in olathe head on drunken driving accident! Meth house seized with 2 million in meth in independence! Mizzou Football looks to rebound after we all thought theyd rape in the sec! Chiefs suck.

I already know what im gonna read on the star anyway.

well bye

Wow, the Star is gonna charge paper subscribers an additional fee to access the online content. Money grab!!!





http://www.kcconfidential.com/2012/1...ons/#more-7669




In a letter dated Wednesday November 7th, Chris Christian told with readers they will be automatically charged an additional 69 cents per week for the newspaper’s new E-Star online content. Whether they want it, use it or not.

Put another way, that’s about $36 a year times 183,000 weekday subscribers or a little more than $6.5 million a year.

Kinda puts the 69 cents figure in perspective, huh?
But nowhere in the letter does it specifically point to an opt out path for subscribers.

Which would have been nice since an untold number of the Star‘s aging print readership probably has little if any interest in its new online options.

On top of that, six of the newspaper’s longtime, regular features will now be billed extra to subscribers at the rate of $2 a pop. Features like its “Football Preview” and”Summer Planner” special sections.

Subscribers will be billed even for snoozers like and the “Personal Finance Guide,” “Consumer Technology” and “Kansas City Food” sections.

And of course, who could forget the Thanksgiving Day newspaper. Which the Star explained a couple years back would cost extra because they’d sold so many ads it cost more to print and deliver.

So much for the concept of the ad revenue paying the freight. Now readers have to pay extra to subsidize the advertising content.

Go figure.

As Bill Clinton might say, let’s do the math.

That’s another $2, 200,000 for the “extra” sections that used to be free.

Bringing the grand total of the Star‘s money grab to around $9 million a year.

Again, with no reference to subscribers of how to opt out of any or all of the six special sections.

For the record, subscribers can call the newspaper’s Customer Service Department at 877-962-7826, Monday through Friday between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. and haggle over the added new costs.

newspaper ads aren't worth a damn. Digital ads on newspaper web sites are worth even less.

The KC Star and other papers are not swimming in gold Scrooge McDuck-style, they are losing money. Really hard to blame them for putting up a paywall, any newspaper which is NOT charging yet, is insane.

Buncha' cheap bastards

How exactly d you expect hem to stay a business?

People quit buying the paper for e version, revenue goes down.
Lay off people for cost of business or viewership decline, which in turn creates fewer articles, revenue goes down.

3 bucks a month is too much? I do not know if they have a digital only, but give me a break on the crying.

I don't begrudge them this. It will only buy them a little more time, though. Print and the old print/news business is dead. It's simply not how people get their news anymore and those companies still have far too much overhead to be profitable. Plus the writing is so terrible these days.

Basically, news-collection sites will snippet as much as copyright allows and you'll get the gist of stories. Radio stations will still host shows with the beat writers and we'll get the same info. Twitter/Facebook will still propagate the basics of any pertinent article without anyone needing to pay for it.

It blows me away that anyone with a brain would get upset by this.

If you value the content the Star provides, you will pay the monthly subscription. If you don't, you won't pay it. It's that simple. No one has a God-given right to receive free content from newspapers.

Business decision. Pure and simple. Star is not in business to give away its' product. What business is?

Except that radio is also dying. This whole "we'll still get the news forwarded/retweeted" argument presumes that someone is paying the writers.

There will always be a demand for local news produced by someone with more credibility than a blogger. That demand may or may not be enough to pay for the local writers that currently exist, but online news behind a paywall, in some form, will continue and eventually they will aggressively defend their IP, just like that Las Vegas newspaper which sues every message board which has a story copy-pasted onto it.

National news might always be able to be ad-driven, but when local news becomes one great big scout.com board, people will start paying for it if the price is reasonable.

Babb left.

**** 'em.

That's true, but on the other hand I wouldn't bother paying to read the Star online.

probably will die

See ya....

however, i will say that i have seen their online edition and it is pretty cool, but no thanks.

Des Moines Register has a pay wall. I just reset Safari and keep reading.

They should just do what the right-wing "news" sources do--just make stuff up and you don't have to pay nearly as many reporters. LMAO


To DC in 3..2..1...

hey, look! An ass wants to bring his DC stuff to the lounge!

I did put a little smiley thing after it to lighten it up a bit. Sheesh.

Take your gimp self back to the hole loser. You don't belong out here.

Enjoy your Jets news.

I wonder what that big Blue KC Star building will be, after the KC Star goes out of business...

Anyone sign up yet?

I'm sure TribalWarfare has, lol

The nudes of Teicher are surprisingly hot.

Worth it.

So what extra do you get? Backstage, all access, 24x7 Belcher coverage?

Not sure but I read a lot of the Star across many sections online and its not that much money.

Maybe they can use some of that money to redo their god awful website.