Murdoch continues to push online paywall, etc.

He’s now meeting with other publishers, doing what a kaknucklehead like Dean Singleton of AP should have been doing years ago, to get backing for an online news paywall. His confidantes, so far, include the LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post and others.

"The reality is that unless a lot of people who produce news act in unison to start charging for content, then individually they will fail," said Alan D. Mutter, a former newspaper columnist and editor and consultant on new media ventures.

For the first time in my life, I’m urging Rupert on.

That said, half of newspapers’ ad decline is due to the economy. But, the other half is due to the online ad world failing to deliver its promise.

"This, after 10 years of effort," said veteran newspaper analyst John Morton. "The only positive thing to be said for online revenue for newspapers is it's going down less rapidly."

That then said, in the hardcopy world, it’s always been 75 percent ads — and 25 percent subscriptions — as the model. Why, why, why, major newspapers and the AP didn’t look at their own model from the start, I have no freaking idea.