FishbowlNY Poll

From Newsday to The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal, newspapers across the country are trying out new types of pay walls and paid content models. But the big question remains, can they save papers?

Our colleagues at BayNewser have launched a new poll today asking that all important question, and we’re trying to crowd-source the answer from across the mediabistro.com community.

Update: Cast your vote on this issue below, and pass it along to your friends and colleagues, too.

Do You Think Paywalls Will Save Newspapers?(trends)

Related: FBNY Poll: What Content Would You Be Willing To Pay For Online?

(Photo via Flickr)

This week, two newspapers announced two very different paywall plans. The Wall Street Journal unveiled a new plan to provide specially aggregated content to “professionals” for up to $49 a month, drawing from WSJ.com, Dow Jones newswires and Factiva.

Local Long Island newspaper Newsday also revealed expected plans to roll out a paywall for its Web site next week. The Cablevision-owned paper’s online content will remain free to print subscribers and those who pay for Optimum Online service, but everyone else will have to pay $5 a week for access.

Whether or not either of these models will work, media companies will continue to test the waters with plans to make you pay for the content you want most. So we wonder, what would you be willing to pay for? WSJ seems to think there’s money in specially aggregated content while Newsday is banking on a need for local news, even for just a week at a time.

What do you think? Weigh in below. (You can pick more than one choice)

What content would be be willing to pay for online?(polling)

Last night, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette launched a new paid content Web site, PG+.

The members only site promises to provide users with special interactive features and exclusive content provided by the Post-Gazette staff beyond what is available in the paper’s daily print and online versions. The site will be hosted by Post-Gazette bloggers and will place an emphasis on commenting and social networking.

The cost? $36 for an annual membership or $3.99 monthly. Members who sign up now will also receive a free copy of a book written by Post-Gazette staffers about the Superbowl winning Steelers, “Super Six.”

Is this a whole new content model? The Post-Gazette says it is:

“PG+ is not only new for the Post-Gazette; it’s also a new, if not unique, approach to the online pay model for the news industry. Most news organizations that are contemplating charging for content are thinking of using ‘micro-charges,’ billing a small amount for clicks on individual stories. PG+, on the other hand, does not put any existing content behind a pay wall. Rather, it offers members access to a full array of all-new material while continuing the regular.”

As more and more publications try out new paid online content models, we’re curious: would you pay for something like PG+? Take our poll and let us know.

Would you pay for a Web site like PG+?(polls)

Post-Gazette launches PG+, a members-only Web site — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Earlier: Would You Pay To Read NYPost.com?

Bloomberg reported today that The New York Times is considering charging readers to access its Web site, NYTimes.com.

In a survey sent to print subscribers, the paper said it is considering charging as much at $5 a month to access its content, including articles, blogs and multimedia, Bloomberg said. A Times spokeswoman confirmed the survey to the newswire.

The question is, would you pay to access Times content online? And if so, how much is your love worth?

How much would you pay to access NYTimes.com?(trends)

We’ll admit it. We are clearing the afternoon so we can park in front of the TV and watch the spectacle that will be the Michael Jackson memorial extravaganza. But, with so many choices, we haven’t decided how we’re going to watch yet. Help us out and tell us what your plans are.

Where will you be watching the Michael Jackson memorial?(poll)

Yesterday, we asked you to tell us if you would buy a new Kindle DX. There’s been a lot of buzz about this product in the past few days (most recently the fact that it can’t correctly pronounce Barack Obama‘s name) but everyone is mostly complaining about its price and its release being so soon after the latest Kindle version, the Kindle 2. Here’s the results of our poll:

61% of you said that you would not buy a Kindle DX, although only 16% of you said you wouldn’t be buying the new version because you already have a Kindle of some kind.
29% of you said you would buy a Kindle DX.
And of the 10% that answered “other,” many of you were simply undecided and pointed to price as a major drawback. At least two people said they would consider buying a Kindle DX if the price drops.

As one respondent said, “If it was less expensive, I would buy a Kindle for books…not necessarily news.”

Amazon.com revealed a new, bigger Kindle yesterday. But we were wondering, will it sell?

The reviews are mixed — some have called it overpriced — but Amazon is pitching it as the future of the newspaper industry and perhaps its saving grace.

Whether or not that that is true we want you to tell us, will you shell out $489 for a Kindle DX?

Are you going to buy a Kindle DX?(answers)

Wow. This was quite a year, no? Twelve months ago the media world was trying to figure out the best place to celebrate New Years in Iowa. Twelve months ago! One wonders whether this year would be best measured in dog years of some sort. But wait there’s still 12 more hours to go! And if we’ve learned anything this year it’s that a lot of headlines can happen in 12 hours. Anyway, there are plenty end-of-year lists floating around at the moment — be they best media moments, worst, blunders, predictions, etc. But after watching Blago make a reappearance yesterday amidst an otherwise distressing news day (and really in terms of entertaining headlines this guy is the best thing to come along since Sarah Palin except arguably better since there is absolutely no chance of his ever reaching the White House) it occurred to us there were a lot news stories this year that made us an expert on something we never thought we’d need to know about. A lot!

Like, for example, the difference between a caucus and primary, and which one happens in what state when, or, say, Superdelegates! Or Alaskan politics (not to mention wolf-hunting), or the difference between a investment bank and a bank holding company. Or the fact that no one was actually in charge on Wall St. Also, Presidential puppies! And then there’s all those names! Ashley Dupree (and her singing career!), the Palin family von Track (and Tripp!), and more recently Made-off, and Bluh-GOY-uh-vich. Phew, you couldn’t make this stuff up. Favorites? Weigh in on your choice below.

What Was Your Favorite Unlikely News Story of 2008
( surveys)

In his chat with Portfolio yesterday Sam Zell said this:

Our customers have an enormous interest in our newspaper on Sunday; have almost no interest on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; Thursday and Friday, they’re more interested; and Saturday might as well be in the desert.

Which made us consider whether a newspaper did, in fact, need to be published every day. What do you think. Are newspapers necessary seven days-a-week?

Do You Need Your Print Newspaper Every Day?
( polls)

Both Senator Barack Obama and William Kristol made appearances on the Daily Show this week. Who was better?

Who Was Better On The Daily Show?
( polls)