Baylis Media Offers Pay As You Go News Online

Baylis Media, publisher of the Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, and Windsor Express, has become the first local newspaper group to team up with digital company Agate to give its readers the option of using a pay as you go system to access individual premium articles, rather than having to buy a subscription.

Jeremy Spooner, chief executive of Baylis Media said:  “Our readers want high-quality news focused on what matters most to them locally. By offering the opportunity to pay for premium articles, not only will our readers be helping to sustain high-quality journalism, they can also rest assured that 80 per cent of any profits will be ploughed back into local charity initiatives.

“By securing a fair price for quality news, we can focus on the news our readers want to hear about – such as weekly news for villages and businesses, in-depth sport interviews, extended council meeting news, Q&As with key figures, and columns and opinion pieces.”

Agate’s online wallet means customers can pay for the stories they want to view with no ongoing commitment.  People using Agate will pay 20p to read an individual article across Maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk, Sloughexpress.co.uk and Windsorexpress.co.uk. There is a weekly ‘free point’ which means anyone spending 60p across the week, reading three articles, can read all the sites for free for the rest of the week. 

As well as accessing articles on the Baylis Media sites, people taking part in the scheme can also pay to read individual articles published by other publications and websites connected with Agate, such as The Cricketer, Reaction, and Popbitch.

Dominic Young, chief executive of Agate says: “We’re delighted that Baylis Media has signed up with Agate to offer customers more flexibility with an option to pay per article.  In our view, it’s vital that quality journalism can be produced in return for a fair price, and we created Agate so customers can pay effortlessly to do so.”

Baylis Media has a unique ownership structure, being a limited company owned by a charitable trust. Not only does the trust oversee the independence of the newspaper, it also decides how a minimum 80 per cent of all profits are given to local charities.