Well, according to former reporter Blake Aued, now with Flagpole -- home of the twin publishers -- the ABH, along with fellow Morris papers in Savannah and Augusta, has run behind a "pay wall."

Now, then, don't get me started! First, it's too damn late for THAT!

But, but! Blake figures online readers in the future, including, I guess, posters on Athens Talks, may have to pay for access "before the end of the year." Actually, that should say, "before the end of the year unless the Mayan apocalypse begins Dec. 21, as scheduled." But on here, I am sure everyone knows THAT, already!

Word is you'll have to pay to read the Athens Banner-Herald online, too, by the end of the year. In hindsight, print publications should have charged for their online content from the beginning, but paywalls are so easily bypassed and people are so used to things being free on the web now that the jury's still out on whether they work. The real question is, how much in the ABH is worth paying to read anymore?

http://flagpole.com/news/2012/nov/28/city-dope/

Nice little dig at your former alma mater, Blake, btw! Couldn't have snarked it up better, myself, I regret to say!

The King's FINAL offer RE "pay to play."

I offer NOTHING! Nothing to read the content of the ABH, the Flagpole, the Red and Black, or any other pt print newspaper, ONLINE! My cold dead hands, sort of thing!

In addition, the King offers, once again, NOTHING in exchange for coming onto "Athens Talks" and blabbing about lots of stuff and making all-the-right-people have frowny faces instead of those smug little grins!

Of course, until the board goes down, or the paper actually begins charging, readers are free to read "all about it." After that, maybe we are all, on our own? (Like before, only more forlorn.)

OUR PAGE views represent REAL readership; as such, they ought to convince advertisers they are reaching large parts of the Athen's market when they choose to market their wares with the ABH. Last i checked, they had a circulation, including electronic page views, far far in excess of say Flagpole. Of course, Flagpole does have a poster named "Allison ?" Some one who apparently shows his support by commenting on every article; his comments are easy to find, too, because almost no one else comments @ Flagpole!

As the Sheriff in Deliverance advised: "Let's just wait, and see, what comes out of the river!"