INDenver Times and The Rocky Mountain Independent
On March 16, 2009, several former Rocky Mountain News staffers announced the development of a new on-line, real-time local newspaper. The plan for a new online newspaper, with a staff of about 30 journalists, needed 50,000 subscriber pledges before April 23, 2009, in order to start; if that subscription goal was met, the full INDenver Times website was scheduled to launch on May 4, 2009. On April 23, 2009, INDenver Times, the name for the proposed restart, reported that the premium content subscription model had gotten only 3,000 subscribers. The three co-founders said that they did not intend to continue the planned business model, and, instead, would create a less-staffed news site. Steve Foster and several former Rocky Mountain News journalists said that they believed that the original business model of a robustly staffed online alternative newspaper could succeed and were looking for new backers.
INDenver Times, now online, does not use the subscription model, instead depending on advertising for its revenue. Kevin Prebuld (co-founder), Brad Gray (co-founder), Ben Ray (co-founder), Steve Haigh (editor), and contributors Drew Litton and Ed Stein are the only remaining staff from the original venture. The site relies on 15 contributors and 6 "INSighters." On September 7, 2009, INDT.com unveiled a new website design, allowing readers to read the news in a more organized format.
On July 4, 2009, Steve Foster and several former Rocky Mountain News employees, launched a new venture known as the Rocky Mountain Independent. The new website used a three-pronged revenue strategy: advertising, subscription revenues, and outside contributors. Subscriptions cost $4.00 per month and yearly subscriptions were 50% for the first 3 months, at $24. The twelve owners of the website committed to working for free until the end of September 2009 The website stopped publishing new content on October 5, 2009.
Read more about this topic: Rocky Mountain News
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