latimes.com to start charging!

[+ Lucky]

March 5th will mark a change in latimes.com. From that date, it will cost to view more than 15 stories in a 30 day period.

 

"After charging 99 cents for the first four weeks, the rate will rise to $1.99 a week in a package that also includes the Sunday newspaper. Digital-only access will cost $3.99 a week.

 

The Times priced the digital subscription with the Sunday newspaper at a lower rate because they are complementary products, Thomson said. The Sunday edition of The Times has the most advertising and readership, making that the company's most profitable publication day." latimes.com

 

I get the Sunday Times already...for nineteen cents an issue! The face price of the Sunday Times is $2.00, versus $6.00 for the national edition of the NY Times. But for some reason the LA Times offered a year's subscription for $9.95. I thought it would expire after a year, but they automatically renewed it for me at that price. And now I am informed that since I am a subscriber, I get the online paper for free. Quite a deal for me, but not such good news for the future of the paper.