The editor of one of the UK’s biggest regional titles has public backed metered paywalls as the likely future business model for the industry.

Keith Harrison, editor of the Express & Star, has confirmed that it is looking at “various subscription models” as a way of monetising online content.

The move follows a fact-finding trip to the US in which Keith and other executives saw at first hand the success of subscription models on titles such as the New York Times.

Keith’s comments came In an interview with former Birmingham Mail editor Steve Dyson, first published in InPublishing magazine.

He said: “My personal view is that a metered paywall is likely to be the most successful model for newspaper websites.”

“We went to the USA in 2013 to view the New York Times, the Star and  Tribune in Minnesota and the Desert News, a Mormon paper in Salt Lake City. What they’re finding is that subscription works very well, and we’re now looking at various subscription models.”

Asked to imagine a website with a million unique users, he adds:  “If you say it’s £1 a week and 98pc say ‘I’m not paying’ once the meter starts, that’s still £20,000 a week, thank you very much.”

“There’s merit in a metered paywall. But to do that, we’ve got to have a digital offering that’s indispensable, and an audience regular and consistent enough to pay for it. Critical is bringing people on board, and getting them hooked to pay something.”

Earlier this week Glasgow daily The Herald revealed it had now topped 10,000 subscriptions for its metered paywall, which starts at £1 for the first month’s access before rising to £2.99.

Robin Burgess, chief executive of the Carlisle-based CN Group has also signalled his support for paywalls in a speech to the 2013 Society of Editors’ regional conference.
In the InPublishing interview, Keith also suggests the Express & Star will become “more regional” in future as a result of the recent move to overnight publication.

“In going overnight, the paper’s national content will go down significantly. If it’s big enough, it will be all over the web and on the radio anyway. That print exclusivity is going now. Instead of cramming it into the city final, we’ll end up with a more regional paper,” he said.

Around 70 jobs are going at the Express & Star and its sister titles as a result of the overnight move and an accompanying restructure – but Keith said that will still leave 145 editorial staff covering Wolverhampton, Shropshire and the area in between.

“It’s a huge resource. A fantastic resource. And those people are much more flexible: subs writing, reporters suggesting headlines, a news desk much more involved with story placement,” he added.