NYT Paywall Starts in January

The Gray Lady wants your greenbacks. After The New York Times revealed earlier this year they would begin charging for access to their website, many were debating the pros and cons of a new system—and whether it would be enough to save a flagging industry. Now their plan is becoming more of a reality: Executive Editor Bill Keller said Thursday night that the Times will begin charging for access to articles in January, joining Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal, which restricts some articles as subscription-only, and the Financial Times, which relies on a metered system that allows readers to access articles before asking them to pony up. But how many of the Times’ 20 million online readers will empty their wallets for articles, and how low might their traffic go? One thing’s certain—all eyes will be on the newspaper business in 2011.