WaPo Hints at Paywall

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Not only will The Washington Post roll out former Boston Globe Editor Marty Baron as its new Editor in January (see "TUOL" post 11/14/12), but also, 2013 appears to be when the WaPo finally will overcome its reluctance and join its digital newspaper brethren by erecting a paywall.

Poynter.org picked up on the story, originally reported by The Wall St. Journal, that the Post plans to limit digital readers' unpaid access to its homepage and section fronts, though print subscribers will continue to have unlimited access to the Post's online edition. Paywalls impact about one-third of daily online newspaper readers, the Poynter post noted, and WaPo would be joining a roster of more than 300 dailies nationwide that have erected paywalls, including The New York Times, Wall St. Journal, and Baron's Boston Globe, which has attracted a disappointing 25,000 subscribers to its year-old premium digital service.

The Post has sustained circulation losses at a higher rate than the newspaper industry ovrall, according to the Poynter post.