New business opportunitites and income sources to offset the shoirtfall between digital media and traditional revenues are discussed in a new report from WAN-Ifra’s ‘Shaping the Future of the Newspaper’ project.

"New Revenue Models for Newspaper Companies" examines the viability of paid-for online content and a host of other approaches: endowments, memberships and syndication, foundation grants, government subsidies and tax breaks, mobile subscriptions, not-for-profit entities and hyperlocal web sites.

At the heart of the issue is the "paid versus free" debate, and the opportunities for newspaper companies to charge for their valuable content on-line. Though the report documents the public's general unwillingness to pay for content, it also shows that about ten per cent of loyal readers are willing to do so.

Developing the appropriate payment plan can result in significant revenues from these most loyal users, while creating more opportunities in the newsroom to provide them with the quality content they demand, the report says.

It explores several paid content models, including micropayments, and examines the strategies of newspapers that are developing them, including The New York Times, News Corp. publications, and others. It also cites researchers, entrepreneurs, academics and critics who evaluate paid content's potential, and are helping to develop the new business models.

While the full report is available only to members, an executive summary and a chapter on ‘The Paid vs. Free Content Debate’, can be downloaded free at www.wan-press.org/article18438.html

WAN-Ifra members can download the report, and other members-only strategy reports on a variety of subjects, from www.futureofthenewspaper.com