Chicago Tribune paywall going up on Nov. 1

The Chicago Tribune will duck behind a paywall on Nov. 1, and its terms are arguably less forgiving than the current paywall standard set by The New York Times.

Starting next month, surfers will be able to access five free articles on the site per month before the paywall kicks in, or half the number available to NYT readers.

A subscription will cost $14.99 per month for those who do not subscribe to any print edition of the paper.

Daily print subscribers will have access to the site for free, while subscribers who receive only a few days a week can get the digital subscription for $2 more per week.

The Tribune redesigned its web site in June and began requiring digital registration that collected basic data about readers. It has received more than 230,000 sign-ups since then.

The Tribune joins a growing line of newspapers slipping behind a paywall at a time when their advertising and circulation is in decline. Though paywalls won’t make up for those woes entirely, they’ll give a small boost to the struggling industry.

More than 300 papers are now behind paywalls, according to the site Newspapers & Technology, including The Times and many Lee and MediaNews Group papers.
 

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