Miami Herald Digital is Still Alive

A few days ago I noticed that there was no longer any mention of the Digital Herald (where "readers can scan PDF images of each newspaper page, clicking on stories, photos and ads.") This is a paid service. I was curious if the experiment had failed so I dropped executive editor Anders Gyllenhaal a note about it.

He responded saying that "the link was mistakenly dropped from the homepage" adding that "Reaction has been quite good to the offering."

Random Observations

A couple of months ago Herald Watch noted the Heralds had launched paid digital versions of their printed product with which users "can scan PDF images of each newspaper page, clicking on stories, photos and ads." Today I noticed that the competing Spanish language daily, Diario las Americas, offers a similar product for free.

Also I wanted to make a shout out to Alesh at Critical Miami for the unsolicited but very kind link today.

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.