On Wednesday the NYT is going to end TimesSelect. A friend forwarded me the note to the staff there.
Dear Colleagues:
Effective Wednesday, September 19, we are ending TimesSelect. All of our online readers will now be able to read Times columnists, access our archives backto 1987 and enjoy many other TimesSelect features that have been added over the last two years - free.
Why the change?
Since we launched TimesSelect in 2005, the online landscape has altered significantly. Readers increasingly find news through search, as well as through social networks, blogs, and other online sources. In light of this shift, we believe offering unfettered access to New York Times reporting and analysis best serves the interest of our readers, our brand, and the long-term vitality of our journalism. We encourage everyone to read our news and opinion - as well as share it, link to it and comment on it.
By taking this step, we expect to see a significant increase in the numberof unique users who turn to NYTimes.com, already the No.1 newspaper-ownedsite on the Web, and we'll regain some of the New York Times readers we may have lost. The growing audience will bring in additional advertising dollars that will, we expect, more than replace the approximately $10million of annual TimesSelect subscription revenue.
Our TimesSelect experience has provided us with many valuable lessons that have helped us turn NYTimes.com into an even more informative, community-oriented, interactive and entertaining site. We welcome all online readers to enjoy the popular and powerful voices that have defined Times commentary - Maureen Dowd, Thomas L. Friedman, Frank Rich, Gail Collins, Paul Krugman, David Brooks, Bob Herbert and Nicholas D. Kristof. And we invite them to become acquainted with our exclusive online journalism - columns by Stanley Fish, Maira Kalman, Dick Cavett and Judith Warner; the Opinionator blog; and guest forums by scientists, musicians and soldiers on the frontlines in Iraq. All this will now reach a broader audience in the United States and around the world. We want to thank everyone who has contributed to TimesSelect. You should be very proud of what you accomplished, creating one of the Web's outstanding opinion forums.
Yesterday marked the 156th anniversary of the first issue of The New York Times. Our long, distinguished history is rooted in a commitment to innovation, experimentation and constant change. All three themes were plainly evident in the skillful execution of TimesSelect; they will be on full display as NYTimes.com becomes entirely open.
Sincerely,
Vivian Schiller, Andy Rosenthal and Jonathan Landman
I'm pleased but at the same time wondering if they are going to offer refunds or vouchers to the NYT's store. Also wondering if I'm going switch from daily delivery to just weekends now that I can access some of the great stuff they've been doing for free.
Recent Comments
catbobcat (crossing a road in Redding, CT.) blogging