Frequent readers of KUsports.com soon will be asked to purchase a subscription to maintain unlimited access to the website, which provides the broadest coverage of the University of Kansas and its teams.
The website’s publisher — the Lawrence Journal-World — has decided to implement a paywall on KUsports.com as digital advertising revenue is failing to keep up with inflation and rising operating expenses.
“Like most other publishers, we have come to the conclusion that relying solely on advertising revenue no longer is feasible,” said Chad Lawhorn, editor and publisher of the Journal-World. “We think the work we do covering KU has great value, and charging a reasonable fee to readers is the best way to ensure our work grows, improves and meets the expectation of KU fans across the country.
“We’re excited about the future of KUsports.com. We have great teams and programs to cover, and are tremendously fortunate to serve Jayhawk fans who truly care about all aspects of KU.”
KUsports.com will offer a pair of subscription plans to readers — $4.99 per month or $50 for an entire year. Readers can sign up for a subscription plan at KUsports.com/subscribe.
KUsports.com has more than three decades of experience in covering Kansas Athletics, and owns one of the largest collections of photos from past Jayhawk events through both the archives of KUsports.com and the Journal-World, which has been the hometown newspaper of the University of Kansas since 1891.
“Like a lot of businesses, we’ve felt the impact of inflation on our operating expenses,” Lawhorn said. “We definitely have felt it in the cost of travel to games, but the biggest issue is just how dramatically the digital advertising world has changed to the detriment of publishers like us.”
Throughout its existence, KUsports.com has operated without a paywall. In its early days, the website was well supported by national advertisers who paid to reach the hundreds of thousands of fans who used KUsports.com as their online gathering spot for all things Jayhawk related.
While reader numbers have remained strong, the online advertising market has dramatically changed over the last decade. Online advertising, especially for sites with regional and national audiences, has become more dominated by Google, Facebook and other platforms, which has greatly reduced advertising revenue of KUsports.com, Lawhorn said. Most publishers, including the Journal-World, now receive more than half of all their revenue from subscribers, which was not the norm a decade ago, Lawhorn said. KUsports.com currently receives none of its revenue from subscribers.
The subscription revenue will help support multiple initiatives at KUsports.com, including funding the travel costs to send journalists to sporting events across the country, which gives KUsports.com access to coaches, athletes and athletics department personnel in ways that’s not possible if the events are covered remotely.
Led by Editor Henry Greenstein, KUsports.com sends journalists to every home and away contest for football and men’s basketball. It also provides the broadest coverage of Kansas athletic competitions, with regular reports on women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, golf, track and field and more.
“Being based in Lawrence, it is important to us to provide full coverage of the many student-athletes who come to KU,” Lawhorn said. “I know firsthand how deep and important the history and traditions are of Kansas Athletics. We are in Lawrence all day, everyday. We know there are great stories to be found across the KU sports spectrum, and we know that Jayhawk fans deserve to have them told.”
