Philly.com Moving To Some Paid Content

The new CEO of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News tells Fox 29 that Philly.com will start to offer paid content by February.

Greg Osberg was interviewed on Fox 29 News and said the move is one of many efforts by his local media company to compete in a new business reality.

Osberg is the chief executive officer and publisher of Philadelphia Media Network, Inc.

Osberg didn’t say how much content would be paid on our area’s largest Web site, but he did say the details will be made public soon, along with a significant redesign of the Inquirer and Daily News.

"The new initiatives will be seen on January 31st," Osberg said.

He also said more Daily News content will be on the Web.

Other Web sites have also said they plan to put part or all of their Web sites behind a paid-content wall. (News Corp., which owns Fox 29, has announced similar plans for some of its online products.)

Recently, Osberg named Larry Platt, the former editor of Philadelphia Magazine, as the editor of the Daily News.

Michael Days was moved from the Daily News to the Inquirer.

Osberg joined Philadelphia Media after the bitter, protracted financial battle for the two newspapers and Web site ended in April 2010.

Many of the newspaper’s current owners fought with former publisher Brian Tierney for control of the company in bankruptcy court in a battle that made national headlines.