Roger Ebert half gets it, but that’s half enough

Jerry Brito
March 4th, 2010
Culture, Economics

Roger Eebert has announced an online subscription service. On his blog, he writes what he calls a “justification” for the move. While he echoes the familiar complaints of old media–he’s not getting paid for his writing, he doesn’t make enough from ads and big ad buys overlook him, etc.–he seems to understand that trying to force people to pay for his content is just not possible.

If I go behind a firewall, however, and a high school student in Mexico is doing some research, there are lots of other excellent critics on the web, and everybody knows it. I’m pretty sure I could get more than 35 subscribers, but a million?

Ebert also laments that micropayments have not proven workable. He waxes romantic about how after learning of the concept from Nicholas Negroponte’s writing, he and Gene Siskel salivated of the amounts they could make if their readers were willing to pay just two cents a page.

Despite all his charming bellyaching, though, he’s making the right move. All the blog and review content that he now makes available for free will remain free. He’s creating a premium service at $5 a year for which you get extra members-only content and other perks.

I think a key component of his premium package will be a member-only discussion forum. A simple thing like a $5 a year fee is enough of a speed bump that it will keep out anyone not serious about serious discussion. Because of the fee, the level of discourse will no doubt be better than other free online movie forums, and that will attract others who will want to pay the fee to get in.

More old media should take this route. The tribes that would form around different publications would be fascinating. Publications could create quality communities and largely avoid the costs of moderation all while getting paid. I’ll be back in a year to announce the Sometime Right Premium Forum.