After Tree Months, Only 35 Subscriptions For Newsday's Web Site

The New York Observer ^ | 1/26/10 | John Koblin

[jdfromny]

In late October, Newsday, the Long Island daily that the Dolans bought for $650 million, put its web site, newsday.com, behind a pay wall. The paper was one of the first non-business newspapers to take the plunge by putting up a pay wall, so in media circles it has been followed with interest. Could its fate be a sign of what others, including The New York Times, might expect?

[jdfromny]

I hate Newsday, Cablevision, and ,especially, Jimmy (The Douche) Dolan.

[Pessimist]

“Tree” months? :)

Get back to me after “Bush” months.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Only tree takers for the web site?

Wooden’d that bee a great tragedy if they failed? 8<)

[Puppage]

Oh, give ‘em a break...it’s only been tree months.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

“Tree” months?

Maybe they shouldn’t have hired the “Tree” Stooges to manage their online circulation.

[ShadowAce]

They’d do better if they’d branch out more.

[Overtaxed Patriot]

Is Ray Barone still a sports writer for them?

[jdfromny]

Ha
Shouldn’t post when in a hurry...

[6SJ7]

Cost
****
Purchase Price of Newsday: $650 million
Website Redesign: $4 million

Gross Income
**************
35 subscribers: $9,000

Estimated time to break even: 72,666 years.

[TexasFreeper2009]

so basically, the 35 losers that post on DU bought a subscription?

ROFL

[1776 Reborn]

The web site redesign and relaunch cost the Dolans $4 million, according to Mr. Jimenez. With those 35 people, they've grossed about $9,000.

Bwaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!

[OB1kNOb]

I’ve heard of dog years, but never tree months. It’s nothing to Pine over, though. Willow you correct it? I’d better stop before I make an Ash outta myself.

[dead]

That astoundingly low figure was revealed in a newsroom-wide meeting last week by publisher Terry Jimenez when a reporter asked how many people had signed up for the site…Mr. Jimenez was in no mood to apologize. "That's 35 more than I would have thought it would have been,"

LOL! Great stuff. How is this guy not working for the New York Times?!

[Secret Agent Man]

I don’t think they’d make it on “Shark Tank”.

[GeronL]

Nobody on Long Island wants to pay for news. Nobody off LI wants Newsday.

[GeronL]

this is an awesome story

[abb]

Indeed. It says that Newsday’s product has no value to customers. All this chatter about ‘paywalls’ is just so much gobbledygook. It’s not a matter of the newspaper ‘charging for content,’ it’s a matter of what the customer will pay.

[stephenjohnbanker]

That is one helluva ROI

[stephenjohnbanker]

“I don’t think they’d make it on “Shark Tank”.”

ROTFLOL!!

[GeronL]

There would have to be a very limited source of free news before people will pay for it.