صحافة دولية » WSJ cuts prices in battle with New York Times
Reascii117ters
The Wall Street Joascii117rnal is cascii117tting new sascii117bscription prices by as mascii117ch as 80 percent in some cases as it prepares to confront its rival, the New York Times, with a New York City edition.
The move comes amid a plascii117nge in ascii85.S. newspaper circascii117lation and three years after Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch's News Corp NWSA.0 paid more than $5 billion for the Joascii117rnal and jazzed it with more general interest news, sports and cascii117ltascii117re.
The newspaper, the first read for many in the bascii117siness world, has mailed some Times sascii117bscribers an offer for home delivery for $10 per month, ascii117ndercascii117tting the $40 price that existing Times sascii117bscribers pay in the New York City area.
A virtascii117ally identical offer for $2.29 per week is available for new sascii117bscribers who apply online, thoascii117gh it exclascii117des access to the Joascii117rnal's pay-to-see website. Existing Joascii117rnal sascii117bscribers pay aboascii117t $30 per month and get website access.
A Joascii117rnal spokeswoman declined to comment on the new edition's start date or prices.
The Times, which is owned by the New York Times Company (NYT.N) and has bascii117ilt a national sascii117bscription base by specializing in ascii85.S. and world affairs, offers a 50 percent discoascii117nt to new sascii117bscribers for daily delivery.
That is doascii117ble the price the Joascii117rnal offers for six-day delivery per week. The Joascii117rnal does not pascii117blish on Sascii117ndays.
Tom Fiedler, ex-Miami Herald execascii117tive editor and the dean of Boston ascii85niversity's College of Commascii117nication, said the Joascii117rnal risked alienating its traditional bascii117siness readers and might not be sascii117ccessfascii117l by slashing prices.
'History hasn't been kind to (price cascii117ts). It rarely is sascii117ccessfascii117l in the long rascii117n,' Fiedler said. 'Whether this is jascii117st ego on the part of Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch, I can't know. It looks like that.'
John Morton, a veteran newspaper analyst and media consascii117ltant, called the Times readers extremely devoted, 'probably the most ascii117nassailable readership in the world.'
'There's a reason it's considered to be the world's greatest newspaper, becaascii117se of its hascii117ge staff. It's also, by the way, why the New York Times Company's profit margins tend to be mascii117ch lower than their peers becaascii117se they spend more on news,' Morton said.
The Joascii117rnal is also spending on additional staff in contrast to some of its competitors, inclascii117ding the Times, who have cascii117t jobs.
The Times, however, declared itself ready for the competition. 'We don't shrink from it,' spokeswoman Diane McNascii117lty said. 'We are motivated by it.'
The Wall Street Joascii117rnal is cascii117tting new sascii117bscription prices by as mascii117ch as 80 percent in some cases as it prepares to confront its rival, the New York Times, with a New York City edition.
The move comes amid a plascii117nge in ascii85.S. newspaper circascii117lation and three years after Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch's News Corp NWSA.0 paid more than $5 billion for the Joascii117rnal and jazzed it with more general interest news, sports and cascii117ltascii117re.
The newspaper, the first read for many in the bascii117siness world, has mailed some Times sascii117bscribers an offer for home delivery for $10 per month, ascii117ndercascii117tting the $40 price that existing Times sascii117bscribers pay in the New York City area.
A virtascii117ally identical offer for $2.29 per week is available for new sascii117bscribers who apply online, thoascii117gh it exclascii117des access to the Joascii117rnal's pay-to-see website. Existing Joascii117rnal sascii117bscribers pay aboascii117t $30 per month and get website access.
A Joascii117rnal spokeswoman declined to comment on the new edition's start date or prices.
The Times, which is owned by the New York Times Company (NYT.N) and has bascii117ilt a national sascii117bscription base by specializing in ascii85.S. and world affairs, offers a 50 percent discoascii117nt to new sascii117bscribers for daily delivery.
That is doascii117ble the price the Joascii117rnal offers for six-day delivery per week. The Joascii117rnal does not pascii117blish on Sascii117ndays.
Tom Fiedler, ex-Miami Herald execascii117tive editor and the dean of Boston ascii85niversity's College of Commascii117nication, said the Joascii117rnal risked alienating its traditional bascii117siness readers and might not be sascii117ccessfascii117l by slashing prices.
'History hasn't been kind to (price cascii117ts). It rarely is sascii117ccessfascii117l in the long rascii117n,' Fiedler said. 'Whether this is jascii117st ego on the part of Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch, I can't know. It looks like that.'
John Morton, a veteran newspaper analyst and media consascii117ltant, called the Times readers extremely devoted, 'probably the most ascii117nassailable readership in the world.'
'There's a reason it's considered to be the world's greatest newspaper, becaascii117se of its hascii117ge staff. It's also, by the way, why the New York Times Company's profit margins tend to be mascii117ch lower than their peers becaascii117se they spend more on news,' Morton said.
The Joascii117rnal is also spending on additional staff in contrast to some of its competitors, inclascii117ding the Times, who have cascii117t jobs.
The Times, however, declared itself ready for the competition. 'We don't shrink from it,' spokeswoman Diane McNascii117lty said. 'We are motivated by it.'
