OC Register will start charging people to read online

[GregAlso]

Ah, never check that forum. Lol. Always just in here. Thanks for heads up

[Chuck]

This just means more Angels fans will be coming here or to other blogs for the news & discussion.

Without a doubt this is where many come for Angels news first if not Twitter or a blog like HH or MWAH.

Also, our website pulls info via an RSS feed from MLB.com (Alden Gonzalez), the LA Times (Mike DiGiovanna) and will still get a blurb from Jeff Fletcher's articles from the OC Register.

[ukyah]

that's not the model for staying alive in an online news world. it's a model for dying, in my opinion. why would i pay to read a local beat writer's wrap up of information i can get for free from all kinds of sources? is it because of their snappy witticisms and hilarious sidebars? i can easily live without them, and that's not intended in any way as a disrespect for their position, but let's be honest, their contributions are totally nonessential. i don't understand why newspapers find it so hard to realize that their revenue streams are going to be ad based among other online revenue streams rather than subscriber based. charging me, the customer, for something i can get it's equal to for free is not a healthy long term approach for any business.

[ukyah]

i'll tell you chuck, it's rare that a forum becomes anything more than "just a forum". what you guys have been able to achieve with this site and the legitimate partnership you guys have made with the angels at the highest levels has really impressed me. as a business owner i sincerely congratulate you, i'm sincerely and truly impressed. it's amazing what a person can achieve in this world, even with a fauxhawk.

[Hollyw00d]

It's almost as if they want to go out of business

[Chuck]

i'll tell you chuck, it's rare that a forum becomes anything more than "just a forum". what you guys have been able to achieve with this site and the legitimate partnership you guys have made with the angels at the highest levels has really impressed me. as a business owner i sincerely congratulate you, i'm sincerely and truly impressed. it's amazing what a person can achieve in this world, even with a fauxhawk.

Thank you for the kind words!

It takes time, dedication, energy, passion, friendships and being surrounded by talented people to build something as good as this.

LOL re: The fauxhawk. It is a phase. I'm toward the end of my midlife crisis. But at the same time, I'm looking younger and feeling better than I did 4-5 years ago so I'm doing something right.

[Rochambeau]

I will pay.

 

Since I was a kid, reading the Angels coverage in the paper(s) has been a routine that I inherited from my Dad.  From back in the days of the Herald Examiner, it's been a staple of my morning.  When they folded, I started taking the Times.  When the digital age began, I have been doing it online so as to not have to dispose of all that paper.  It was then that I added OCR's coverage to my morning ritual.  My morning is not complete until I have consumed all of the Angels coverage offered by the local papers.

 

One more thing, there will be posts slamming their coverage for one reason or another.  I find such attitude to be internet slop.  It is quite likely that there is not a member on this board that can do what Jeff and Marcia do day in and day out.  They may not be my personal favorite writers either, but they are pros folks.  Think you can do better?  Become a psuedo-beat writer and craft two daily articles of length and of enough quality to be read by hundreds of thousands of people.  Don't forget to put a comments section at the end, open to the anonymous general public to ensure that every comment isn't "great read" as you would typically get in a familiar community such as this.  And don't forget that, like baseball, it's a marathon not a sprint.  Do this for the entire season, relishing the off day where you only have to write one article, though generally longer and more creative (those off-day articles are always my favorites).

 

I for one like to fancy myself a person who can write, yet I know I probably couldn't do that job to an acceptable level of quality for 7-8 months straight.  Just like I can't hit a baseball as well as Howie Kendrick, or even Jeff Mathis for that matter.

 

Pay a pittance for the enjoyment I get from their work?  Please, it's a no-brainer for me.

[SC81]

Agree that writing is tough, and consistent great writing is very difficult.  However, I look at the OC Register from Maryland daily for Angel and other local coverage.  A paywall will end this habit, which is sad, since I delivered the paper back when Jim Fregosi was still playing shortstop.  Good luck for their new business model, obviously they had to do something, but as someone from across the country, it doesn't work for me.  Gonna miss them.

[yk9001]

I love all these people complaining about a product they say they hate (while reading for free), that is now charging.

 

"There's an old joke: uh, two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know, and such small portions."

 

Woody Allen, Annie Hall

[stevestevens]

My kid plays water polo and swims.  The OC register prep coverage of those very niche sports is unique and exceptional.  I'll pay.  I can't get that coverage anywhere else.

 

There is nothing in their Angels coverage or any other pro sports that I'd pay for.

 

Yep, this is how I stay up to date on OC high school sports now that I live out of state.  They do a really good job......I might consider the fee.  Anyone know the cost?  I can't seem to find it. 

[nate]

2 dollars a day for people that don't currently get the paper.

[gotbeer]

I will pay.

 

Since I was a kid, reading the Angels coverage in the paper(s) has been a routine that I inherited from my Dad.  From back in the days of the Herald Examiner, it's been a staple of my morning.  When they folded, I started taking the Times.  When the digital age began, I have been doing it online so as to not have to dispose of all that paper.  It was then that I added OCR's coverage to my morning ritual.  My morning is not complete until I have consumed all of the Angels coverage offered by the local papers.

 

One more thing, there will be posts slamming their coverage for one reason or another.  I find such attitude to be internet slop.  It is quite likely that there is not a member on this board that can do what Jeff and Marcia do day in and day out.  They may not be my personal favorite writers either, but they are pros folks.  Think you can do better?  Become a psuedo-beat writer and craft two daily articles of length and of enough quality to be read by hundreds of thousands of people.  Don't forget to put a comments section at the end, open to the anonymous general public to ensure that every comment isn't "great read" as you would typically get in a familiar community such as this.  And don't forget that, like baseball, it's a marathon not a sprint.  Do this for the entire season, relishing the off day where you only have to write one article, though generally longer and more creative (those off-day articles are always my favorites).

 

I for one like to fancy myself a person who can write, yet I know I probably couldn't do that job to an acceptable level of quality for 7-8 months straight.  Just like I can't hit a baseball as well as Howie Kendrick, or even Jeff Mathis for that matter.

 

Pay a pittance for the enjoyment I get from their work?  Please, it's a no-brainer for me.

 

 

Problem is, $2 a day is not a pittance for a newspaper.  I get the LA Times delivered, and get online for under $20 a month.  If I just wanted to get online, it would be $1.99 a week.  

[gotbeer]

Isn't a daily newspaper a 1.50 or less off the rack?

 

 

I thought the OCR tried this a few years ago then backtracked.

 

 

Under $20 a month for the LA Times delivered + Digital.  Or $1.99 a week just for digital.  

 

So $2 a day is way too expensive.

[MacNasty]

I simply won't read the OC Register any more, then.  Their articles don't impress me, it's not like it's a must-have.  Half the time it's re-baked information and views that have been discussed around here anyway, and for the other rare scoops and information I can get elsewhere.

 

It's a shame, too.  The OCR was always the paper I read but their coverage just isn't worth it.  Now, if they could do a better job with more interviews and stories, maybe, but that won't happen they're just trying to boost income.

 

What really irks me is that I can't get Angels games on cable here in San Diego grr.  Not even their special coverage shows.  Such BS.

[yk9001]

i'll tell you chuck, it's rare that a forum becomes anything more than "just a forum". what you guys have been able to achieve with this site and the legitimate partnership you guys have made with the angels at the highest levels has really impressed me. as a business owner i sincerely congratulate you, i'm sincerely and truly impressed. it's amazing what a person can achieve in this world, even with a fauxhawk.

 

I agree - Chuck, what you've done here is damn impressive.

[yk9001]

Like I said, I like their preps coverage.

 

Not so much at $60 a month.

[stevestevens]

2 dollars a day for people that don't currently get the paper.

 

and I will not be paying for that service.  Oh well, that stinks. I totally agree with the concept but not at that price. 

[gotbeer]

They will probably reconsider quickly after their online hits drop to near nothing.

[Lhalo]

Speaking of the OC Register...

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oc-register-sections-20130330,0,5180933.story

[Chuck]

I agree - Chuck, what you've done here is damn impressive.

 

Thank you, YK! Sounds strange to say, but I'm both proud and humbled of what's been accomplished to date. 

[Chuck]

The OC Register screwed up when they let Sam Miller walk. He went immediately to Baseball Prospectus and wrote a story on Trout for ESPN the Magazine which was received very well nationally. 

[Chuck]

The SD union tribune did this and I stopped reading too. How does this effect articles posted to this website? We won't be able to read them?

 

An RSS feed will still get sent here from the OC Register, but it will be just the title and blurb. If you click on read full story, you will need to pay. 

 

We're equipped for this though as our plans to increase our feature stories this season and beyond is in full effect. You won't miss a beat, plus Alden Gonzalez and Mike DiGiovanna's links are still free to click on to get the full stories. There's also FoxSports West and ESPN reporting for free as well. 

[ettin]

Under $20 a month for the LA Times delivered + Digital.  Or $1.99 a week just for digital.  

 

So $2 a day is way too expensive.

 

And this really is where the OC Register might fail in its endeavor. I would rather pay the LA Times $2, and get Angels coverage, than pay an extra $2 to get the more "localized" Orange County reports (which, to be honest, are not that different or substantial to be worth the, albeit, small investment).

 

Pay sites need to have content that drives people to shell out the money. Sam Miller at Baseball Prospectus makes me want to subscribe to Baseball Prospectus. Good coverage, writing and content is what drives subscription, in my opinion.

[Chuck]

And this really is where the OC Register might fail in its endeavor. I would rather pay the LA Times $2, and get Angels coverage, than pay an extra $2 to get the more "localized" Orange County reports (which, to be honest, are not that different or substantial to be worth the, albeit, small investment).

 

Pay sites need to have content that drives people to shell out the money. Sam Miller at Baseball Prospectus makes me want to subscribe to Baseball Prospectus. Good coverage, writing and content is what drives subscription, in my opinion.

 

Agree.

 

I pay Baseball America 50-60 bucks a year because the content is good. 

[Earnest Borgnine of 9]

i'll tell you chuck, it's rare that a forum becomes anything more than "just a forum". what you guys have been able to achieve with this site and the legitimate partnership you guys have made with the angels at the highest levels has really impressed me. as a business owner i sincerely congratulate you, i'm sincerely and truly impressed. it's amazing what a person can achieve in this world, even with a fauxhawk.