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From John O'Byrne Sir: Although Stephen Glover argues that the introduction of the tabloid format has reversed the recent 'alarming' decline in circulation both of the Times and of the Independent (Media studies, 17 January), there is little doubt that newspaper sales overall are falling and will continue to do so in a multimedia world. However, it amazes me that newspaper proprietors and managements have ignored the hungry
wolf sleeping on their own doorstep. I refer to their policy of allowing free online access to their titles. There is very little incentive for many to pay good money to a newsagent when at the click of a mouse they can read the Times, Guardian, Telegraph to their hearts' content for up to seven days after publication (the independent has a pay-to-click policy). Nowadays broadband Internet access has made this a virtually (no pun intended) cost-free option for thousands of 'newspaper surfers'. No wonder circulations are eroding as readership grows! It's as if movie distributors were in the habit of giving away DVDs of their latest releases at petrol stations, and then puzzling over the fact that cinema attendances were down.
John O'Byme
Dublin
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