Online reproduction charges levied by news agencies present a big problem for regional publishers' websites, according to one of the oldest English-language newspapers in the world.

"Any organisation that keeps a tight reign on content cost is bound to take issue with the additional charges levied by the major news agencies for online re-use," Gordon Mack, executive editor for the internet at the Herald, told dotJournalism.

"Many publishers actually own the copyright to only a small proportion of their printed products. The outrageous charges levied by PA and Reuters for online reproduction rights inhibits the volume of in-paper material that we can re-use."

The Herald site will only feature content that is approved for re-use - which excludes content sourced from freelance journalists as well as agencies such as PA, Reuters and AFP.

Originally launched in 1996, the Herald claims to have been the first regional daily newspaper on the web. The site was relaunched in September 2003 after a 10-week development and, due to budget constraints, has to be manageable by just two production staff.

Using a similar format to the International Herald Tribune site, theherald.co.uk allows readers to browse news in columns, echoing the format of a newspaper.

"The design and navigation was created in response to overwhelming demand for simplicity from the reader base - our readers do not want internet bells and whistles," said Mr Mack.

"The horizontal format helps readers with smaller screens to avoid scrolling very long pages and is sympathetic to the origins of print content."

The Herald site attracts around 500,000 unique readers each month and, although the site currently acts as a digest of the newspaper, overall commercial strategy for the site is being reviewed following a takeover by regional newspaper group Newsquest.

"Newsquest has a very dynamic approach to online publishing and is keen to enhance its revenues in this area. Exactly how this will affect our sites here remains to be seen," said Mr Mack.

"There is much industry debate about successful business models for online newspapers - about the only consensus is that the majority of sites cannot remain as they are."

See also:
http://www.theherald.co.uk
http://www.newsquest.co.uk
http://www.iht.com

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