Independent weekly the Rotherham Advertiser is launching a partial paywall using the Axate ‘digital wallet’ used by a number of regional titles.
Readers will pay 20p to read a premium article – which will include council and planning stories, court reports, sports news and opinion columns – up to a maximum of 40p per day.
Smaller pieces will remain free of charge. Editor Andrew Mosley said: “We still sell more than 15,000 copies of the Advertiser – read by more than 40,000 – every week, and, including our free papers the Record and Weekender, print over four million papers a year.
“But the simple world of 1858, when the paper was born, has changed a lot. You don’t have to pick up a printed paper to read any more, and a lot of you naturally choose to read the limited news feed we provide on our website and Facebook.
“You have told us you would like to see more of our content online and we want to be able to deliver it to you. However, online news doesn’t make anywhere near as much revenue as print output.
“It costs money to produce, but readers receive it free of charge. This creates obvious challenges to our ability to carry on serving the community is the way we – and you – would want.
“The income it generates will help us sustain and build on our commitment to quality journalism at a time when the reduced number of advertisers supporting the paper alone does not fund this. This move will enable us to continue the fight to make Rotherham’s voice louder.
“When you sign up you can be safe in the knowledge you are helping quality, sustainable journalism and that the money we make from this won’t be going into the pockets of shareholders.”
Other press groups currently operating Axate paywalls include Iliffe Media and Baylis Media, as well as the Newbury Weekly News, Cornwall Reports and the Barnsley Chronicle.
The Huddersfield Daily Examiner recently ended a five-month paywall trial using the system.
