Marty Weybret, publisher of the Lodi News-Sentinel, facilitated the Press Summit discussion Saturday morning among three panelists about charging for online content.
David Bessen of MediaNews Group, Walter Hussman from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Steve Outing from the University of Colorado and Steve Yelvington of Morris Communications each voiced their opinions and fielded questions from members about the ongoing debate.
"It's O.K. to change, but it needs to be affordable and convenient," said Bessen. A great idea is to research the ways people in the community are currently getting their news, he said.
Yelvington used a Venn Diagram to clearly show the advantages and disadvantages of charging for content. Use the diagram "to better understand the threat or the opportunity of charging or not charging for content," he advised. Another good tip is to explore the frequency of usage from the people in the community.
Outing spoke about his current project, the Digital Media Test Kitchen, a concept he formulated at the University of Colorado's School of Journalism.
"We are looking for ways to further the news industry," he said.
Hussman defended the decision to charge online viewers to read the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He's a firm believer that print media should not be tossed out just yet.
-- Daniel Cásarez is a reporter for Vida en el Valle in Fresno.
4/21/10: Corrected name of facilitator from Ralph Alldredge to Marty Weybret.
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