Brother, Can You Spare A Dime…For Online Access?

It’s our fault, really.  Television was (and is still) free.  But then cable and satellite came around and you started to pay for it.  And unless you were really quick about getting your hand into one of the newspaper machines before the spring-loaded door snapped back into place, you paid for it.  Then the Internet came around.  A flat fee got you access to all of it.  Newspapers, televisions and magazines posted stuff there with the hope that you’d like it and still pay for the traditional media.  So much for that genius idea.

Newspapers are suffering (find a twenty-something out there who actually reads one).  Same goes for magazines.  Television is doing very well, but the reality is that most of you won’t wait until the news is on for anything but the weather.  If there’s a local story of importance, you know you’ll likely find it on our website.

Oops.

So you know, the cost of getting information to you hasn’t gone down.  In fact, it’s gone up.  Ink for newspapers still costs a ton of cash.  TV costs are also rising (High Definition isn’t cheap).  And truthfully, broadcast delivery has always been free to you - we made our dough thanks to the kindness of advertisers.  But hey, they go where you are.  Right now, they think you’re surfing the ‘net.  Come to think of it, if you’re reading this - you are.

So this week, when Fox mogul Rupert Murdoch guaranteed that YOU would be paying to visit his company websites by this time next summer, it signaled the end of an era.  It also created a collective sigh of relief among the many other media moguls out there.  “Whew,“ they whispered internally, “if Uncle Rupert can do it, so can we.“  And they will.

You need to know a couple of things.  First, it’s not your fault.  Nobody’s punishing you for using the Internet.  Secondly, you won’t be paying for everything.  But understand that true journalism is disappearing very quickly.  And if charging you (me for that matter) to get access to the best so that the best can be retained - then it’s worth it.

You won’t think so at first.  But trust me, you’ll be grateful in the long run.  A recent look at ABCNews.com and CNN.com found a slew of grammatical errors.  It starts small.  The next thing you know, you’re “trusted” news source will be a waste of your time.  Check out The Augusta Chronicle.  A great newspaper is really just chock full of Associated Press stories from a bunch of places that AREN’T local.  Eventually - “free” won’t be worth your time.  And your voice will be the loudest “blogger” in town.  I’m sure Mr. Politician is trembling at that thought.

So as you begin to hear more and more about “paying” for Internet content - I hope you do what a good journalist will do.  Investigate it.  I think you’ll find that people are still willing to pay for quality, whether it’s journalism, car repair or even just a movie.

Just a nickel’s worth of free advice.  Well, free for now at least.