Times May Pull Plug on Pay Site [NY Times Fiasco]

New York Post ^ | July 21, 2007 | Keith J. Kelly

[Enchante]

The New York Times' subscription-only online service TimesSelect could be nearing its end.

Long a favorite of Times Co. Chairman Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger Jr. and President Janet Robinson, insiders say a growing chorus of people within the paper are lobbying to shut down the two-year-old service, which charges Web visitors to access columns from David Brooks, Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich, Paul Krugman, Bob Herbert, Nicholas D. Kristof and Thomas L. Friedman.

"It a hot potato," said one insider. "There's a lot of pushing to do away with it."

Indeed, even several of the columnists who make up TimesSelect are said to have expressed reservations privately about the service when it launched, and little has changed their minds since then.

[Enchante]

The article doesn't really offer any evidence that Sulzberger and pals might actually do away with TimesSelect. I actually think it's a great thing -- consider how little we have had to see/read of Dowd, Krugman, Herbert, Rich, Kristof, et al since the "tollbooth" went up. Only the people foolish enough to waste $50 per year on those bozos actually pay any attention to them anymore. I'm sure that's why the columnists hate it, even if it may be making the paper some money -- with all the vast choices on the web for commentary, who cares anymore what the NY Times liberal mafia says about anything?? Only a few dried up prunes known as dying liberals read those clowns anymore....

[goldstategop]

People didn't want to pay to read liberal columns. Nothing newsworthy in Little Pinch's paid service... which is worse than a night out with a hooker.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[italianquaker]

I laugh when someone says I read in the nytimes that

[Covenantor]

Gotta love the Pinch Photo and caption

Sulzburger
Another black eye.

[Clara Lou]

No—believe it or not, they’re making money off this this pay-to-read plan. I can’t figure out [unless I missed a sentence] why they would do away with it. Whatever. Who needs the times? I don’t have a birdcage.

[Peter W. Kessler]

Oh yeah, I’d pay money to read Paul Krugman.

[goldstategop]

What? You know what Bob Herbert and Maureen Dowd are going to say. I don't need to pay $3.50 to read their columns.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[GovernmentIsTheProblem]

“No—believe it or not, they’re making money off this this pay-to-read plan. I can’t figure out [unless I missed a sentence] why they would do away with it.”

To spread more propaganda in an election year.

[nyyankeefan]

the nyslimes needs to pay readers to indulge in their crap....

dowd ~ a man hater

krugman ~ the consumate economist....even a broken clock reads correct twice a day....2 more times than krugman has been since jorge bush has been elected!!!!

[Clara Lou]

Good point.

How long, do you think, before Maureen Dowd is unleashed on Fred Thompson?

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

[Chode]

no, no, no... just raise the price!!!
and the RATS, take another one in the...............HA ha!!!

[kingu]

I think what bothers me most of all is how many times the US taxpayer is the one who has to pay for the subscription to the editorial section of the New York Times. I’d wager my next $25 contribution to the Freepathon on that the majority of their subscribers are government employees who fork the bill onto the taxpayer.

[Always Right]

which charges Web visitors to access columns from David Brooks, Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich, Paul Krugman, Bob Herbert, Nicholas D. Kristof and Thomas L. Friedman.

The only value those columns had in the first place was for toilet paper. Being able to access them over the net was worthless. It is amazing it took this long for the NYT to realize the obvious.

[eyedigress]

I can’t wait...MODO attacking FRED, Ha Ha. Old Japanese movies come to mind.

[GovernmentIsTheProblem]

“How long, do you think, before Maureen Dowd is unleashed on Fred Thompson?”

Maureen who? ;)

[joebuck]

I can’t figure out [unless I missed a sentence] why they would do away with it.

Because many think they could get more than 12.5 million off add revenue if they made it open and the egos of the restricted columnists want an audience larger than 250,000.

[detch]

When I tried to open a NYT link from FR, it asked for a subscription.

THAT reminded me I didn’t need to read the article after all.

So I questioned myself, why did I try in the first place to read some liberal garbage from self-admiring, child-celebrity Dowd?

[lesser_satan]

Why would anybody pay to read what’s essentially just an overly-verbose version of Kos?

[Moonman62]

I miss the Catherine Zeta Jones pictures.