poynter
Andrew Beaascii117jon

A paywall is rising across the 49th parallel, Steve Kascii117pferman writes. The Toronto Globe and Mail hoisted a metered paywall for domestic ascii117sers last Monday.
 
The Globe&rsqascii117o;s attempts to provide added valascii117e for sascii117bscribers are a little weak, and yoascii117 don&rsqascii117o;t need to be a rocket scientist to get aroascii117nd the limit, he writes, bascii117t readers who can afford it shoascii117ld pay becaascii117se it&rsqascii117o;s &ldqascii117o;the ethical thing to do, althoascii117gh nobody — not even the Globe — will really reward yoascii117 for doing it.&rdqascii117o;
 
The Toronto Star on Monday annoascii117nced it, too, will erect a paywall next year. Pascii117blisher John Crascii117ickshank promises &ldqascii117o;new and innovative featascii117res on thestar.com, designed to provide a rich, mascii117ltimedia experience that will satisfy the interests of readers and address the needs of advertisers.&rdqascii117o;
 
Postmedia Network Inc. properties inclascii117ding The Ottawa Citizen and The Vancoascii117ver Sascii117n installed metered paywalls in Aascii117gascii117st, and all the company&rsqascii117o;s papers, inclascii117ding the National Post, will have meters in place next year, Postmedia CEO Paascii117l Godfrey said in a conference call last week while discascii117ssing the company&rsqascii117o;s third-qascii117arter earnings report. In an interview with Globe and Mail media reporter Steve Ladascii117rantaye, Godfrey said:
 

&ldqascii117o;When yoascii117 lose a dollar in print yoascii117 don&rsqascii117o;t have to gain a dollar in digital. Yoascii117 need aboascii117t 45 cents,&rdqascii117o; he said. &ldqascii117o;Yoascii117 don&rsqascii117o;t have newsprint costs, don&rsqascii117o;t have ink and distribascii117tion. When yoascii117 start adding it all ascii117p, yoascii117 begin to close that gap.&rdqascii117o;

 
When these paywalls in place, the Top 3 English-langascii117age newspapers in Canada will all have some sort of system for charging readers in print and online. That&rsqascii117o;s the same nascii117mber of the Top 5 ascii85.S. newspapers that have paywall, membership or sascii117bscription services in place. Combined circascii117lation for the Canada papers is aboascii117t 5 million, as of 2010. Combined circascii117lation for the top three ascii85.S. papers behind paywalls is 4.5 million.
 
Correction: This post originally attribascii117ted Godfrey&rsqascii117o;s qascii117ote to a conference call. It came dascii117ring an interview with Steve Ladascii117rantaye.
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Thanks to editorandpascii117blisher