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AP to start charging for Internet posts

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Illinois

Hopefully, this won’t deter outlets like CBS-2 Chicago from posting the Associated Press’ Illinois stories online as they come over the wires.

The Associated Press will begin charging newspapers and broadcasters to post its stories, photos and other content online, a pricing shift that reflects the growing power of the Internet to lure audiences and advertisers from more established media.

Tom Curley, AP president and CEO, announced the change Monday at the annual meeting of the 156-year-old news cooperative.

Most of the 15,000 news outlets that buy AP’s news, sports, business and entertainment coverage have been allowed to “re-purpose'’ the same material online at no extra cost since 1995. At that time, graphical Web browsers were just beginning to transform the Internet from an esoteric computer network to a mass medium.

The new pricing policy, effective Jan. 1, begins to shift some of the funding of AP to the growing online market, as technological advances and digital devices are making it ever easier for people to get their news whenever and however they want it.

Note to CBS-2: If you can’t afford to pay the new rates, charge for the service. I know I’d pay it.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 19, 05 @ 7:37 am

Comments

One would think AP would be smart enough to put versions on their own site and sell ads. But then it is the AP.

Comment by reddbyrd Tuesday, Apr 19, 05 @ 12:53 pm