Three months on: Newsday's online subscriber numbers shockingly low

Posted by Leah McBride Mensching on January 26, 2010 at 4:46 PM

Long Island, New York newspaper Newsday put its Web site behind a paywall at the end of October, and three months on, just 35 people have signed up for an online subscription, the New York Observer reported today.

However, print subscribers do get free access to the site, as does anyone who has Optimum Cable television, which is owned by Newsday's owner, the Dolan family and Cablevision. About 75 percent of Long Island's residents have either Optimum Cable or a subscription, which could point to why there are so few Web site-only subscribers.

Traffic to the Newsday site has also decreased by half, according to Nielsen figures, Crain's New York reported.

Publisher Terry Jimenez told the newsroom the number in a meeting last week when a reporter asked how many sign-ups the site had. Full access to the site costs US$5 a week, or $260 a year. The redesign and relaunch of the site cost $4 million, and so far the newspaper has made $9,000 from the 35 people.

Jimenez told staffers that the Web site was not meant to generate much revenue, but instead give loyal subscribers an extra benefit, according to the Observer.

If the Web site isn't making money, "why are we doing it?" one staffer asked at the meeting, according to Crain's.

Newsday's management is also in a dispute with the employees' union over a proposal to cut pay by 10 percent.