The Kyiv Post, like many newspapers in the world, has begun charging for much of its online content reported and written by staff journalists and editors. Much of the non-staff produced material - including opinions from experts around the world and the latest news from wire services - will be free for one week.
“This is a
worldwide industry trend and one dictated by our desire to continue to maintain
a high-caliber Western and Ukrainian staff to bring our readers quality
journalism online seven days a week,” said Kyiv Post CEO Michael Willard.
In the Internet age, newspapers have needed to come up with revenue to offset declines in print advertising, so online subscriptions have gradually gained in popularity.
“News is not something that is ‘free’ online,” said Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner. “Readers can be forgiven for thinking this way, since from the dawn of the Internet age most newspapers simply gave away their stories on their websites. But news costs money and always has cost money to produce.
“The Kyiv Post currently employs four editors, 10 reporters, one designer, one photo editor, one photographer and several freelancers,” Bonner added. “Their labors — to report, verify and write stories — take a lot of time and effort. Salaries have to be paid, expenses have to be met. So online payment is an inevitable way to start recovering the costs as print advertising begins to fade as a stable source of revenue.”
In the end, Bonner said, the online subscription is no different than the subscriptions that readers have taken out for decades to print editions of newspapers. And print subscribers to the Kyiv Post will, indeed, receive online content for free.
Besides staff-produced stories, photographs and cartoons, the
continually updated website at www.kyivpost.com carries the latest news about
Ukraine and the world from Reuters, the Associated Press, Interfax and
other agencies. The Kyiv Post staff also publishes links to major stories written about Ukraine
around the globe in the section called Ukraine Abroad.
Here are the options:
· Print subscribers will continue to get unlimited free access online, plus access to PDF srchives.
· A
monthly online subscription is available for Hr 72 ($9).
· An
annual online subscription, with the option of continuous renewal, is available
for nearly 50 percent less – Hr 480 ($60) a year. GREAT DEAL!
Limited offer: The first 500 customers to buy an annual subscription receive the special price
of $36 per year.
For more
information, contact [email protected]
or call +38-044-591-3408. (Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner can be reached at [email protected]).
