Why Rupert Shouldn’t Make the WSJ Fully Free

While the main motivation is loss of revenue I tend to view the situation from a different perspective:

1) The worst possible way to compete in business is to venture into a game dominated by many and mighty competitors who cannot be easily toppled. Yahoo Finance (mentioned in the article) is such a formidable opponent.

2) Brand wise, the paid access model reinforces the Journal as being valuable and worth paying for. Something free does not have the same cachet.
After all, if almost a million people pay for access and seem happy, it sure is a sign that the info contained behind the closed gates is valuable and not found anywhere else!

WSJ is better off trying to increase the number of subscribers than venturing into the seemingly greener pastures. I believe it’s the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” wisdom.