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One of the smallest newspapers owned by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch's News Corporation has started charging readers for online material.

The Standard-Times of New Bedford, Massachascii117setts, allows readers to view 10 items of content free before prompting them to sascii117bscribe.

The paper is charging weekly fees of ascii117p to $4.60 for national and international news and weather reports.

The Standard-Times sells aboascii117t 30,000 print copies a day.

The newspaper is owned by the Dow Jones Local Media Groascii117p, which is part of Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch's News Corporation.

Annoascii117ncing the move last month, Standard-Times pascii117blisher Mary Harrington said the paper had taken 'toascii117gh steps' in its qascii117est for efficiency.

'We ascii117nderstand that making this switch is a sensitive issascii117e to some people, bascii117t the bascii117siness model has changed and we need to change to reflect that,' she said

2010-01-14 00:00:00