New York Times Fringe Readership

I find this New York Magazine article (from my buddy Rich) on the New York Times very interesting.  I feel like I am exactly one of the groups of people they refer to in the article.

Essentially, the New York Times is getting ready to start charging for content.  Interestingly enough, one of the arguments from the article is that their following is growing rapidly online as other papers have closed down.

I feel I am one of these readers.  I read the New York Times when I lived on the East Coast in college, but have since stopped reading it. 

However, as their journalism has begun to stand out over the last year or two (with others dissappearing), I find myself reading the Times online more and more.  The amount of articles people send me from their site continues to increase (so I imagine my friends are in the same boat).  Plus, the organization and social features of the site continue to improve.

However, if the Times starts charging online, I will stop reading.  I am not a die-hard New York Times reader.  I am a cusp reader and one of those they will lose as they switch to a pay method.  Enough of a fan to look at their ads and even click through on one every so often, but not enough to pay a monthly subscription.

The other group that I find interesting are the China and India readers.  Even if they are a die-hard reader, they cannot afford the USD price that the Times will charge for an online subscription.  The Times international following will nosedive.

As usual, there is no easy answer to the New York Times problem.  There is probably some pay medium that will satisfy just enough users to keep the Times profitable, yet also be cheap enough to maintain a mass following.  The problem is that it is not easy to test and adjust to find the right solution.  The Times has to hit a home run on the first pitch or risk blowing the game entirely.

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