I've speculated that this type of arrangement is a perfect mechanism for circumventing Federal campaign finance laws. Some wealthy Democrat with a hard limit on the amount of "soft" money he can give to the party can buy 100,000 on-line subscriptions to the NY Times at $29.95 apiece -- and the NY Times will provide free "support" for his issues in the form of editorials, op-ed pieces, etc.
And as far as I know there really is no way to prosecute the donor for violating campaign finance restrictions. All that sh!t about "free speech" for newspapers, you know.
There would be an angle like that, too. NY area locals like Corzine and Bloomberg especially could pay that freight.
By the way, is "Alberta" your Mom or your place or origin?