Online media change their business model

In its leading article the daily Les Echos describes how media that are badly hit by the economic crisis are looking at new financiing possibilities: "After taking over the Wall Street Journal, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch criticised his booty [for charging for online articles] with the words: 'The future of the online press does not lie in fee-based models, but in free models financed through advertisement'. ... Today however he's changed his tune. The 'Wall Street Journal' not only remains one of the few papers to charge for most of its content. The Australian American even goes a step further. His flagship paper will now sell articles by the piece. In the magnate's view, other groups should follow his lead. ... It's a bit like in the world of music, which had to learn to sell individual songs instead of albums. Rather than selling entire papers, part of tomorrow's press will at best sell an article or two."

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