Comments on: Dallas Morning News Launches Electronic Edition

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:27:46 +0000

I have to agree with Brad. I pay $28.50 a month for my DMN subscription (did you know you get a 5% discount if you enroll in the EZpay program – Brad I see you are paying $30) and I think the eEdition was a nice touch. I have spent a couple hours on the site and really enjoyed it – surprisingly.

I also thought it was a good gesture on the DMN’s part to include the electronic version in my subscription at no added cost. At least they did not use this as an opportunity to raise prices.

I too had a little bit of an issue setting up my account but I called customer service and the rep was able to walk me right through the process

By: Brad

Brad — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:06:35 +0000

I actually like the new DMN eEdition, but I am also the only person I know under 35 who still reads a daily newspaper. Because it is basically a PDF copy of the real thing, the eEdition layout & flow appeal to me.
I will admit that I HATE their other news site. Dallasnews.com is AWFUL. Nothing stands out, the layout is bad, and forget using their search to find a story. It is easier to close the site and let google find the same story that Dallasnews.com (for some reason) cannot find on their own freakin’ site. NYTimes.com on the otherhand, is a newspaper site I enjoy and read online daily.
As for the price.. I pay $30 for daily subscription, & now get the eEdition for free, & see that as an added value. Would I be willing to pay $12.95 for eEdition alone….I doubt it. I am not tethered to my computer all day, & eEdition would not load on my phone, so I still prefer an actual paper that I can take & read anywhere.

By: Informed

Informed — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:23:53 +0000

It’s part of their strategy to “save” the company! The traditional biz model has eroded…ad dollars. Now they want readers to pay a higher price to cover the ad dollars going out the back door…wake up! Circ numbers have declined and that means less audience so they have to secure online participation. @Dane you bet they count the copies of Briefing in audit. Just what an Advertiser wants a throw away audience.

By: BenD

BenD — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:25:52 +0000

Maybe the “system” does recognize you Tim.

By: ld

ld — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:13:18 +0000

I don’t think I’ll pay $ for this, but I did like the way it mimics the print version. Slow load time is a negative.

By: Beth

Beth — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:54:14 +0000

This looks like something the editorial board arrived at by consensus. You have to give them credit, though, for requiring the subscriptions to be paid in dollars instead of locally sourced community garden vegetables and backyard chickens. I bet that vote was a close one.

By: Michael Davis

Michael Davis — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:43:47 +0000

I think it’s pretty cool.

By: Dane

Dane — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:31:01 +0000

@aecintx: Think the DMN counts those annoying copies of “Briefing” in their ABC circ numbers?

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:17:59 +0000

Hysterical! You still get advertisements. And the article margins are still formated for print. Essentially it’s a slow, poorly formatted .pdf

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:17:37 +0000

On the face, it does seem unlikely that this feature would attract new subscribers, but I wonder if increasing eyeballs is the intent. That would be not be advisable.

Tim, would you mind doing some reporting this afternoon so that you can give us a fully formed opinion? Ask if this is indeed a new product or if it is a trial balloon to morph dallasnews.com into a subscriber model.

Thanks in advance for your curiosity and keep up the hard work.