NYT's Sulzberger: No Print Edition In Future

The time is rapidly coming when Hollywood studios can forget buying all those 6-page spreads advertising their awards movies in The New York Times. Because NYT Chairman & Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr, told the WAN-IFRA 9th International Newsroom Summit in London that there won’t be a newspaper soon. Asked about his response to the suggestion that the NYT might print its last edition in 2015, Sulzberger said he saw no point in making such predictions and said all he could say was that, “We will stop printing the New York Times sometime in the future, date TBD.”

According to news coverage of the conference, Sulzberger also fleshed out plans for the paper’s introduction of a “metered” paywall in early 2011. (The NYT started and stopped its TimesSelect pay experiment in 2007 which was widely deemed a failure.) Readers will be allowed to access a certain number of articles free each month, then will be asked to pay so those who use the site heavily will be charged. He confirmed that the paper will work with Google to implement First Click Free and is also a presence on Facebook now. Many details of the pay strategy are yet to be decided, however. “We are still working on deciding what type of content will count towards the meter,” as photos and graphics may well require different considerations. “We are in the process of conducting extensive research to decide on pricing and the extent of the meter,” he continued, adding that “we will be refining all these policies as we get ready to launch in the near future.”

“Our pursuit of the pay model is a step in the right direction for us,” Sulzberger said. “We believe that serious media organisations must start to collect additional revenue from their readers,” and “information is less and less yearning to be free.” Readers are becoming increasingly willing to buy information on the web if it enhances their lives, he said.