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The Seattle Times announced it will soon begin charging digital subscriptions for online access to its content. (MyNorthwest.com/Linda Thomas)

Seattle Times executive editor defends new subscription fees for website access

BY Josh Kerns  on February 25, 2013 @ 12:35 pm (Updated: 2:11 pm - 2/25/13 )

Seattle Times executives are defending their decision to start charging for full access to the Times website.

"Our thinking, as has been the case with many newspapers around the country, is that we shouldn't just give our content away free, particularly to those people who use us heavily," said Seattle Times Executive Editor David Boardman in an interview Monday with KIRO Radio's Dori Monson Show.

The Times has taken plenty of heat in online comments since Boardman announced the move in a column Sunday. The newspaper plans to charge $.99 per week for the first month, then $3.99 per week after that. Current subscribers will get the digital subscription for free (including Sunday-only subscribers.)

"We have the largest newsroom in the Northwest, we produce by far the most volume. Much of what people hear on the radio and on television everyday begins with The Seattle Times and we think a large number of people will be willing to pay for that," said Boardman.

Dori supported the move. "We need to find ways [to keep the Times healthy]. We've got a couple of reporters at our station who do great quality journalism, you guys obviously have a great track record of that and we need to find ways to keep all of that vital," he said. But Dori wondered if most readers would be willing to pay, especially with so many online news sites to choose from.

"There's no shortage of material out there," Boardman said. "We take the position that there is a shortage of really high quality professional journalism that's been fully reported, validated, that's credible. It costs money to produce that as you well know," Boardman said.

Despite the criticisms and threats many readers will likely stop visiting The Seattle Times website. But Boardman said research shows plenty of others, including younger people, will value the offerings enough to support it. He pointed to his own daughters, both in their 20's, and their willingness to pay for digital content like The New York Times and Netflix.

The digital subscription isn't a silver bullet to save the Times, Boardman said. Instead, it's "just one piece of the puzzle" to keep the newspaper going.

"It's one piece in an overall strategy in which we're trying to get consumers and have successfully gotten consumers to pick up more of the fare for producing journalism. And we're looking for a variety of new ways to serve advertisers as well," he said.

Boardman promised that in addition to maintaining the Times' current level of reporting quality, the organization plans to also improve its smartphone and tablet apps along with its website, which he points out was recently chosen one of the four best in the nation by the Online News Association.

The Seattle Times plans to launch the digital subscriptions in mid-March.

"It'll just be another element in shoring up our business and ensuring its future," Boardman said.

You might also be interested in:

Ross and Burbank: In defense of The Seattle Times charging for online access

Linda Thomas: The state of Seattle journalism, as the Times puts up a paywall

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (23)


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  • ron prevost wrote...
    I guess I may be old school, but I still read PAPER paper.
    February 25, 2013 3:07 pm
    Times, News Tribune and USA Today every morning with coffee. Tried on line last winter during the ice storm but crosswords were not as good and it just doesn't have the 'feel' of a newspaper.

    Of course, I try to get news from as many sources as possible. The Times news may be slanted but I mostly look at their SPORTS section (plus comics & crosswords), so I don't really care about the news slant.

    Judging from the on-line Seattle PI, however, I doubt I would actually pay for Times news on line. And fees in general for on line news seem a little suspect. After all, if they can't find enough advertisers........................ ???

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  • YouLoseIWin wrote...
    It's sad, and its going to fail.
    February 25, 2013 3:26 pm
    There are enough local news outlets for most people to get their news without having to pay for another subscription. I understand that there are those people that like to read the newspaper and those that don't watch local news like king 5 or komo. But times are changing and whether or not apps on smartphones and tablets are a fad or if they are going to change the way we get our news; to pay for something you can get for free is right in line with the definition of insanity.
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  • 5Twenty wrote...
    I will pay...
    February 25, 2013 3:44 pm
    for the Seattle Times when they present the news from both sides, without slant. In other words, I will never pay for the Settle Times.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • RnD_Fan wrote...
    Too much!
    February 25, 2013 4:26 pm
    Too much bias, too many advertisements.

    No Thanks.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • flipper wrote...
    Yawn
    February 25, 2013 5:05 pm
    ..who cares.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    WIFE WRITES FOR THE TIMES
    February 25, 2013 5:13 pm
    maybe some of the pain you want on other people will come home to you DM. When the times goes down the drain. Hope she makes a ton of money working there.
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  • rational wrote...
    The New York Times and Netflix
    February 25, 2013 6:14 pm
    Firstly, almost no one pays for NYT's online...in case you haven't noticed, they're working their way out of business. Secondly, Netflix provides a service that people see useful...the Seattle Times is just another left wing rag...plenty of them about that don't charge.
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  • SeattleJack wrote...
    The Times isn't bad, but ...
    February 25, 2013 6:17 pm
    I've lived in a lot of cities, and the Times is a better newspaper than a lot of people think. But 4 bucks a week? That's pushing $200 a year. There's no way on friggin' EARTH I'm paying that when there are other sources of free local news. Also, the statement "You get what you pay for" is a little disingenuous considering that there are very good newspapers, including the Washington Post, that don't charge.
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  • towering wrote...
    Going Down and Content
    February 25, 2013 8:28 pm
    So many people online keep saying ST will go down or complain about their content. Nobody is forcing you to read their paper. You think they're just going start randomly charging people? They have a plan and I'm sure they've thought it out. You can still access ST as long as it's not to frequent. People who have a paper subscription get online access for free. The question of, how many readers are willing to pay an online subscription? I'm sure they've contemplated this issue and are counting on a certain percentage to pay this fee. This may work out for them but I find their sense of timing terrible. When the economy is weak and people are more careful with their money, your percentage goes down. The fact that there are so many other online sources, doesn't help either. I'm sure they expect to lose a lot of readers in the transition. My question is, how many subscriptions will be enough to satisfy their expectations? 10%, 20%, etc.
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  • wsshirling wrote...
    unbelievable...
    February 28, 2013 12:35 pm
    There are too many other sites that provide "intelleigent reporting???" Priceless..
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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