N.Y. Times' Cover Ads Go For Big Bucks

Why is this a surprise, especially this article in the N.Y. Post. Last year, the Wall Street Journal was first to put ads on their front page. In fact, the WSJ is owned by Murdoch who also owns the Post. Unfortunately, it is a necessary means for survival as other papers including USA Today have already known. As subscriptions and revenue drop, new opportunities are needed to engage the audience. Will we perhaps one day have ads inside articles, I hope not. Can you just imagine reading the paper on President Obama and in the middle of the article see "...and President Obama, sipping a Diet Coke, that refreshing taste!, in his cabinet meeting announced new reforms...". Product placement inside print content, perhaps the last straw, but it follows the same type of in-program content that TV shows utilize today. Its why Simon drinks Coke on American Idol every week. As newspapers seek new avenues of advertising, the front page becomes the pre-roll of print. And at "$75,000 on weekdays and $100,000 on Sundays, according to several ad buyers who asked to remain unnamed" the return is profitable.