Upgrades coming to Times-Union and Jacksonville.com

[coredumped]

There's no business model out there that competes with free.

Yep. They need to offer something that we can't get for free, though I don't know what that is though. In my opinion, it's not a great loss. I'm not speaking about the TU specifically, but newspapers in general.

They provide "yesterdays" news. I don't know the last time (if ever) I heard first hand something in the paper that I hadn't heard first from: twitter, facebook, google+, news sites (yahoo news, etc), TV, telephone, or friend.

The ONLY reason we have a subscription to the Sunday paper is the coupons. We literally take the coupons out and toss the rest of the paper in the bin having never even looked at the front story.

[Mike D]

Without even debating the merits or faults of the Times-Union, here's the bottom line.  Newspapers everywhere are searching for the right balance of ad revenue and subscription revenue to create a new business model that will keep them alive.  Craigslist and similar interet sites took away the enormous revenue of classifieds almost overnight.  Other factors are playing a part in the travails of the print industry, but that one alone was a very big blow.  It will be in everyone's interest if they find the right combination to survive.  Even if you get most or all of your news "free" on the internet...please pay attention to where most of it comes from...usually the source is a traditional newspaper, television station or magazine.  Free papers like Folio Weekly play an important role, but nothing takes the place of a daily local paper.  No one else has the resources or staff to cover the whole community.  Gathering and producing the news is a very expensive process.  They don't do it for free.  It's like old-fashione over-the-air broadcast TV.  Most of us are so accustomed to the rising cost of cable and satellite we tend to forget that TV is free if you want it to be.  Their advertising revenue pays the bills.  While TV has not been hit with the same punch as the print media, it is also facing challenges.  What it all amounts to is Jacksonville, like every city, needs a daily newspaper.  While the day may come that the print edition that lands in your driveway is a thing of the past...it should be our hope and desire that the on-line version of that daily paper will continue to grow, thrive, and serve us.  Folks, we need 'em.   

[Ocklawaha]

I won't be paying for the TU online and I can't see most Jacksonvillians...

WTF?

FYI - The correct term is JAXSONS, and it dates well into the 1880's or earlier.

Bottom line, MJ is a 'full service' information source! LOL! 

[birdilicious]

If the Times Union wants to make money from "subscribers" they should post the content for free, but have you pay a subscription to post comments on the site.  That's how you make money!