Gannett Co., the owner of 82 daily newspapers including The Indianapolis Star, will adopt a paid model for online
content by the end of the year, the company announced at an investment conference Wednesday.
Online readers will be able view between five and 15 articles per month, depending on the newspaper, according to Bob Dickey,
president of the McLean, Va.-based company’s community newspaper division.
Dickey said the initiative, similar to the New York Times pay model, will add $100 million in revenue to the publishing
business by 2013.
Gannett, which also owns 23 television stations, expects total revenue to grow 2 percent to 4 percent annually over the next
four years, Chief Financial Officer Paul Saleh said.
He predicts the publishing business will increase no more than 2 percent a year during that period, but digital revenue,
which now accounts for les than a quarter of Gannett’s sales, is expected to rise 12 percent to 13 percent annually
through 2015.
Flagship paper USA Today, which relies on bulk sales to hotels at discount rates, will not have the same online model as
the other properties. Fifty-six percent of its 1.78 million average daily circulation is distributed in hotel lobbies and
guest rooms, according to the latest publisher’s statement to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Also Wednesday, the company said it will raise its quarterly dividend to 20 cents a share from 8 cents. The payout is effective
April 2 for holders of record on March 9.
The publisher’s goal is to return more than $1 billion to shareholders by 2015. Gannett reported a 33 percent decrease
in fourth-quarter net income as revenue from newspaper advertising fell and circulation declined.
Gannett gained 4.2 percent to close at $15.61 Wednesday, its biggest one-day percentage increase since Dec. 9.

















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The Indy Star is joking if they think people will pay for their content.
What content?
Trying to read an Indy Star article is torture.
First you have to fight a barrage of pop up ads, page redirects, and online surveys.
Then you get to a page of stories with broken web links and typos.
After reading one article from one of their "columnists", it becomes obvious they rarely leave their desk, go to public meetings, or even make phone calls.
Some are so clueless on the subject matter, I doubt they know who to call or what questions to ask.
Don't forget to turn the lights out when this publication ends.
They couldn't believe it took them less than 5 minutes to read the entire Sunday paper.
They asked, "How could the community newspaper in the states business and political capitol have no original news stories"?
Fort Wayne has TWO daily newspapers that put the IndyStar to shame.
They keep cutting reporters and produce a weak product with countless errors.
Few people will pay money to browse press releases, associated press clippings, and poorly researched and written news articles.