&gt;When The Times introduced a paywall, the number of people looking at their digital service dropped by 98.7% (from 22m to around 300,000), yet the switch was a huge financial success.<p>But for how long? I&#x27;m fairly certain that once those 300,000 loyal readers kick the bucket that The Times&#x27; digital subscription service will too.<p>How is 22 million regular readers (who will keep coming back and telling their friends about your articles, because they&#x27;re free) worth less than 300,000 paying subscribers (who for some reason absolutely have to read what&#x27;s in The Times no matter the price, and would probably have a hard time encouraging others to be so vehement).<p>Not to mention the types of journalists you will attract with a readership of a very small city, vs the readership of the population of New York State.