.jpg)
The Daytona Beach News-Journal is now charging for its online edition except for those already paying for a 7-day subscription for home delivery of the print edition. The monthly subscription for those who get the print subscription is an additional $6.95 for a monthly online subscription. For those who didn't pay for a home subscription of any kind, the cost to access the online site is now $9.95 a month or $119.40 a year.
DAYTONA BEACH -- The News-Journal and its sister papers are following the lead of The New York Times in charging readers to access its online content as print media struggles to find a happy medium with keeping its broadsheet advertising in place while losing readers in droves to the Internet.
Ironically, The Times unloaded its Florida papers in a fire sale to the News-Journal's parent company, Halifax Media, earlier this year. Headline Surfer, launched April 7, 2008, under NSB News LLC, first as NSBNews.net with Headline Surfer added as its trademark umbrella name via HeadlineSurfer.com, was Florida's first true Internet-only newspaper with unrestricted access to its stories, blogs, videos, images and advertising. That unfettered access will not change.
Headline Surfer is one of the few Internet newspapers with stories, blogs and images included in Google's News Directories around the clock, as is the News-Journal, in most, if not all of Volusia County's 16 incorporated cities and towns. The New Smyrna Beach-based Internet newspaper's content is typically found throughout the greater Orlando metropolitan area in the Google news directories, along with the Orlando Sentinel and the Orlando television stations' news.
The Sentinel earlier this year was the first print newspaper in Central Florida to charge for online access earlier this year. Those with IP addresses in Volusia County cannot access Volusia County news on the Sentinel unless they pay a fee. Otherwise all other content is accessible.
Anyone accessing the News-Journal online gets five "free" clicks per month before a box pops up blocking the view of what's been clicked on with directions on how to subscribe to access the content for a fee.
The News-Journal started its restricted access as of Oct. 1, with statements posted online first by its editor, Pat Rice, on Sunday, and Publisher Ron Wallace on Monday.
Wallace pointed to the recent change in the look of the News-Journal. He referred to new content like the addition of Volusia County jail mugs and video presentation.
Headline Surfer also added a "widget" that allows for the latest Volusia County jail arrest mugs. And while the News-Journal is now dedicating a video each day as part of its online coverage, Headline Surfer has provided videos on a regular basis since the very beginning with more than 1,000 original videos published.
In his front page letter to "Dear Valued News-Journal Readers," in the Publisher Wallace says the re-make of the online edition in September has resulted in a "30 percent increase in page views compared to last year."
Wallace introduces the online subscription as follows: "Beginning today (Monday), our new print and digital delivery subscription package goes on sale." What was free to all readers, regardless of print subscription, now costs $9.95 every 30 days for full digital access. Those with a partial print subscription, can get full digital access for $6.95. Those with a 7-day print subscription only have to register online for full online access without paying an additional fee.
Daytona Beach News-Journal Publisher Ron Wallace is shown to the left of Volusia County Manager Jim Dinneen at a recent luncheon in DeLand with county and business leaders.
Wallace introduces the online subscription as follows: "Beginning today (Monday), our new print and digital delivery subscription package goes on sale." What was free to all readers, regardless of print subscription, now costs $9.95 every 30 days for full digital access. Those with a partial print subscription, can get full digital access for $6.95. Those with a 7-day print subscription only have to register online for full online access without paying an additional fee.
Headline Surfer is Florida's first 24/7 Internet newspaper launched April 7, 2008, initially as NSBNews.net. It is based in New Smyrna Beach, covering Volusia County and throughout the Orlando Metropolitan Area via HeadlineSurfer.com, NSBNews.net and VolusiaNews.net. "Headline Surfer" is a registered trademark owned by NSB News LLC, for editorial, marketing and advertising purposes. All rights reserved.
.jpg)
