Saturday, September 22, 2007

Heralds launch new web-based editions

The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald have launched new web-based editions of their printed newspapers. The uninspired names of these new versions are The Miami Herald Digital and El Nuevo Herald Digital.

A small item in today's printed Herald says that "The electronic editions follow similar launches by...The New York Times and Washington Post.

The advantages of these new electronic versions, according to The Herald, are that "Users...can scan PDF images of each newspaper page, clicking on stories, photos and ads. The customizable format allows users to change the size and typeface of the stories and to save stories and photos."

MHMC will charge $4.95 a month and "is offering discounts to some subscribers. " No details on who would be entitled to a discount were given.

Obviously MHMC, like all the other newspaper companies, is struggling to figure out where to go from here since the days traditional newspaper are numbered. What it is not clear is what will happen to herald.com and elnuevoherald.com the free web sites offered by MHMC. Why would anyone pay for the same information that is currently being given away? Especially when the paid version is potentially clunky.

See a demo The Miami Herald Digital here and decide for yourself.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The New York Times just scrapped their online paid subscription experiment. The Herald's move is 5 years behind the times.