Lisa Brown, St. Louis Post-Dispatch –
Lee Enterprises, the parent company of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said today that it will introduce digital subscriptions to its newspapers in most of its markets before the end of the year.
Davenport, Iowa-based Lee owns 48 daily newspapers nationwide and holds a joint interest in four other newspapers. Lee also owns nearly 300 specialty publications, including Feast, St. Louis’ Best Bridal magazine and Ladue News locally.
Lee introduced paywalls at six newspapers in August in Montana and Wyoming that were successful, according to the company. There was not an adverse effect on digital advertising revenue at those newspapers, and page views at those six websites remain strong, Lee’s chairman and executive officer Mary Junck said at Lee’s annual meeting of stockholders this morning in Davenport, according to a summary of her remarks released by Lee.
At the Montana and Wyoming newspapers, readers are able to access between 15 and 20 free online story views a month. After they reach the set amount, they must pay to access a story on the paper’s website. At the Billings Gazette in Billings, Montana, for example, annual digital subscriptions cost $69.50 and $19.50 annually for print subscribers, according a list of rates on its website.
Lee will introduce digital subscriptions in more Lee markets over the next three months.
No determination of a paywall for stltoday.com, the Post-Dispatch’s website, has yet been made, according to company spokesperson Dan Hayes. “All of that will be determined market by market,” Hayes said.
The Post-Dispatch is Lee’s largest newspaper, based on circulation. Companywide, Lee’s newspapers’ daily circulation totals 1.3 million.
The move toward paid digital subscriptions comes as Lee’s revenue continues to decline. Lee said it expects revenue for its second fiscal quarter that ends March 25 to decline between 3 and 4 percent compared to a year ago. Operating revenue in Lee’s most recent quarter, which ended Dec. 25, was $199.6 million, a nearly 4 percent decline from a year earlier.
In January, Lee emerged from bankruptcy as the company sought a refinancing plan for about $1 billion in debt. Debt repayments of $30.4 million in the current quarter will reduce Lee’s debt to $965.5 million, according to Carl Schmidt, Lee’s vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer.
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NOTE: Lee owns the Globe Gazette in Mason City, Iowa.
If it’s anything like the NYTimes, all you have to do is clear your cookies and you’re all set for another batch of articles.
I would not pay for a Globe website and I doubt most people would. Perhaps if this happens, The Globe and the City wouldn’t be so connected.
The National Enquirer already has a website.
the globe has a website?
Really Fred !!!!!