NZ Herald back into the 21st Century?

RB discusses plans afoot for the herald to get back into the digital age.
About time! that 'premium' content move was a really bad idea. for all it's warts, the herald is often the first place you look for a bit of kiwi-ana and local flavour. the op-ed's are the best place to start if you want an on-the-ground perspective and created a forum to interact with, you know, your potential customers/demographic via blog links etc.

i'm still partial to the idea of a temporal value when it comes to the news (for complete lack of a better word, or the inclination to think of one):

1. get it out there (free), create the discussion, make your web site the one people check as the authoritative first port of call (loads of $$ from eyeballs is possible this way - link through to trademe for crying out loud...)
   
2. keep it free for a long time, say a year or two.
3. then archive it. chances are if someone is interested in news from the 80's (lets say Bastion Pt being occupied) then you could charge them an historical research fee (and do a little more for your money than open the digital vault).
   

might create an interesting business model. at the end of the day, printing words and asking people to buy them is a dated concept. we're all DROWNING in words, give me a reason to read yours...

for all that, i hope they get it right, i for one will be a rather niggly little bugger when it comes to their appalling science reporting.
on the same note, i'm still waiting vainly (vanely? hhmm maybe the first one was right ;-) for brian rudman's references on the dangers of sitting near HV power lines... now why aren't i surprised about that?