AP To Charge For Web Content

News Service To Impose Fee To Papers Posting Its Material Online

(AP) 
Curley, the former publisher of the Gannett Co.-owned USA Today, has been looking for new sources of revenue since he became AP's chief executive officer in mid-2003.

In Curley's first full year on the job, AP's 2004 revenue totaled $630.1 million, a 6 percent increase from the previous year. The news service's losses narrowed to $728,000 last year after a $11.1 million loss in 2003.

The AP products currently under development include a computer database of stories, photos, graphics, audio and video, designed to make it easier for newspapers and broadcasters to find the content that best suits their local market.

In September, the AP plans to introduce a new multimedia package designed to appeal to young adults, a prized advertising demographic deeply immersed in the Internet and other digital media.

"As the audience turns to new platforms and adopts new habits, the news must follow," Curley said.

Several newspaper publishers at the meeting said AP's new online licensing policy makes sense, as long as it doesn't significantly increase their expenses. "I'd like to see what the total bill is going to be," said David Bradley, publisher of the St. Joseph News-Press in Missouri. "I hope it doesn't turn into an onerous burden."