2009 06 12

USA Today Publisher Sees Hope in Mobile Platforms

USA Today's new publisher said Wednesday he hopes to expand the newspaper's revenue from mobile phones and portable electronic reading devices, and pledged to fight The Wall Street Journal's bid for readers in hotels. The comments from David Hunke, named USA Today's publisher in April by Gannett Co., come as the top U.S. newspaper by circulation -- along with the rest of the media industry -- is grappling with steep advertising declines. Newspapers are struggling to find ways to get readers to pay for online content without killing the flow of traffic to their Web sites and devastating their Internet ad revenue. As one step toward expanding its revenue sources, on Aug. 3 USA Today will start selling e-mailed replicas of its daily newspapers for about $10 a month, Hunke said at a gathering of reporters. USA Today already has been selling electronic editions for $13.95 a month, but now it is switching to a new technology provider and putting more resources into promoting the service. Other newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, have similar products, which are not big producers of revenue. USA Today's previous incarnation of its electronic edition averaged 1,217 subscribers from October through March, the latest reporting period covered by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Hunke said it was not yet clear whether print subscribers would get the new electronic version included in their delivery service or whether they would be asked to pay the extra fee, which is the case now. Hunke said he does not envision charging for access to the newspaper's main Web site, a step other publishers are contemplating. He added that USA Today was not represented at a recent meeting in Chicago where several newspaper executives discussed the idea. But Hunke said mobile platforms, like Apple Inc.'s iPhone or digital reader devices being developed by Amazon.com Inc.,...