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November 17, 2009, 02:00 PM ET
'USA Today' Pushes Digital Editions on College Campuses
For years major newspapers have given away free copies on several college campuses to try to get students hooked on their print products. Now USA Today has added a digital edition to its free offerings at three campuses, hoping to test how students use its new premium electronic version.
Anyone using a computer on the three campuses can now get free online access to the newspaper's e-Edition, for which the company usually charges $99 per year. The e-Edition is formatted to look like a printed newspaper, though it also includes videos and interactive Sudoku and other games. The three colleges participating in the pilot project are Pennsylvania State University, Indiana University at Bloomington, and the University of Missouri -- all of which have long been part of "newspaper readership programs" involving printed papers.
None of the colleges are moving away from giving away print papers -- USA Today will still be in boxes for the taking on the campuses. "This is just a test to see how they do respond to the electronic version," said Heidi Zimmerman, director of communications for the newspaper. She said the program did not include the newspaper's Kindle version formatted for e-reading devices. That format still requires a monthly fee even on the college campuses.
Until recently USA Today had the broadest distribution of any newspaper in the country, but last month its paid circulation fell to 1.9 million. The Wall Street Journal is now the leader in circulation, at 2.02-million readers, according to the Associated Press.
Comments
1. 11244879 - November 18, 2009 at 09:17 am
Please go back and talk to folks at USA Today. The papers are distributed as part of the Collegeiate Readership Program. The papers are not really free to students. Students generally pay for the papers with a fee. While they don't pay for each individual paper, the students do share the cost of the papers. USA Today receives compensation for each paper picked up out of the bins.
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