First the Sun Sentinel did it earlier this year. And now the Miami Herald is joining it.
The McClatchy Co., which owns the Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, announced today that both those online sites will implement a paywall this year.
The company's other papers, the Sacramento Bee, the Modesto Bee, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Ledger-Enquirer, and the Sun Herald, have all been operating with a paywall.
McClatchy reported that revenues dropped 4.2 percent from $5.1 million after the quarter ending September 23, so that would explain the decision.
At first glance, however, it seems like the Herald's paywall might only be partial and, therefore, not as big of a pain in the ass as the Sun Sentinel's.
Readers who visit both sites will have free access to a limited number of stories and posts a month.
Subscribers to the print version of the papers will have free access to the websites, while those who join the Miami Herald Plus program will have options such as mobile apps, digital and print subscriptions, and digital-only options.
"We believe the new subscription revenues will begin to make a more significant impact in the fourth quarter," McClatchy President and CEO Pat Talamantes said in a statement. "In 2013, we believe the new Plus program could add more than $20 million depending on a number of factors, including how quickly we complete our company-wide rollout."
No specific date on the paywall's debut has been announced, other than to say it would be sometime in November.
In the meantime, we'll be looking to figure out a way around the Herald paywall for you, like we did with the Sun Sentinel.
We're all in this cheapskateness together!
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