Traditional media is not charging for their product. It is just that the product is fundamentally lacking and the cost cannot be absorbed with advertisement revenue alone. Perhaps if a Newspaper created worthwhile content they could drive needed traffic to their site.
Pete -- this touches on a topic that's sure to get people steamed up...
Those who are pro-newspapers and many liberals (who control a lot of the standard media) actually are beginning to promote the idea that people should be TAXED and then government money given to the media to support it...because they use the argument that a free press is way more important than roads, bridges, and even health care -- so if the government is going to tax people to provide those things, then it should also assure that free press exists by helping to pay for it!!!
If a big enough newspaper threatens to shut down and go bankrupt -- then they will ask Obama for a bailout...it's already happening!!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/14/politics/otherpeoplesmoney/main5013550.shtml
why not bail out the Catholic Church as well if they go under???
Of course I find that idea totally absurd and a HUGE, HUGE step in the wrong direction -- this is what Communism does...first they offer support to a free media, then they move beyond "helping" and take over, then they ultimately control the whole thing.
Anyone who believes that governments should fund or subsidize newspapers then should also agree governments should subsidize churches and religions as those are fundamental free rights and really important to people as well....
Of course -- the governments are already going broke -- and it they start subsidizing the press, I am going to leave and move to Canada (remember Alec Baldwin's promise?)
http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2009/03/03/should-newspapers-be-subsidized-1/
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081018123032AAhRZ1S
BTW -- there are some who must really rely on the hope everyone's completely stupid...
People like Michael Moore and columnist EJ Dionne...are claiming that
the governments are NOT BROKE...
That there's actually LOTS of money -- all the government needs to do is go find it and take it away from the
people who have it.....
Note these guys are not just talking taxing people to get their earnings or a portion of sales, etc...
they are actually talking about finding how much you or I have in our pockets or in the bank and then just taking
the portion of it that they deem necessary...in other words...the government just stealing what you or I have
to use for their purpose (basically to give it to someone else)..
but in the end this philosophy will turn the USA into a giant 3rd World Country -- as most of our money then
would go to those who are desperately poor elsewhere and there'd be little left for us once it's redistributed!
http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-moore-wisconsin-natural-resource-video-2011-3
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_high_cost_of_a_broken_metaphor_20110313/