CHARGE FOR GENERAL NEWS? NO CHANCE.

The Chief Executive of U.K. specialist magazine publisher Future has said ".. there is not a cat in hell's chance .." of charging for general news online.
It might be stating the obvious but I couldn't agree more.
Speaking to The Guardian Stevie Spring said: "If you can get it free and it's as good as a substitute, and it's as easy to get to, that challenge is monumental, particularly in the U.K. where you have got a fantastic BBC News." She added Future was experimenting to see who will pay what and how much, characterising the group's approach to digital as "do and learn", with a mixture of fully-paid, part-paid and free business models.
I think the decision process about whether to buy is the same whether online or in print. If you think it has value and is of interest then you will pay. If you can read the same, or similar, elsewhere for free then of course you will.
This is the big challenge that publishers are facing online. How to generate desirable content economically, and protect it from cut-and-paste merchants once it's out in the open.