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BBC to Provide Extensive RSS
Georgie2032 writes "The BBC News Online's Editor states that beginning in the middle of May, the BBC will be 'completely liberating the availability of its content' using its Really Simple Syndication (RSS) tool. 'So in May we'll be happy for outside websites to dip in and take our headlines'"
The BBC is a public information service and doesnt rely on advert to get money but every english perosn paying for the privilage of having a TV or radio, this may be an alien concept to many americans but this is why the BBC can give other sites access to their RSS feed, because they dont cling to users visiting their site to keep their heads above water and resorting to obnoxious flash adverts and popups
There is a long and ongoing conflict between the BBC and the other online media in the UK. BBC has been able to nearly exterminate all UK online news except the specialized ones. Even those have nowdays moved to a subscription model (FT, DT and the like). It is free, it is high quality and it is updated round the clock. This is seriously annoying most newspaper owners and editors who see their circulation dropping and online presence being pushed into the oblivion. Allowing them to feed on an RSS feed is a great marketing ploy. They instead of protesting endlessly will now become largely dependant on BBC news online existing. Once this happens Blair (or any other creature which replaces him) will no longer have the option to exterminate news.bbc.co.uk for "efficiency of public spending" reasons.
Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
http://www.sigsegv.cx/
The current feeds are made accessible for personal use only. The difference is that the Beeb will now be OK with commercial sites using them without prior agreement/contract.
The only thing you can accurately describe as "Scotch" is a sticky tape made by 3M. And it's
Nearly exterminate? There are still more than a few news organisations with online presences:
Reuters
The Times
The Guardian (interesting... the content is free but if you want to read it in a paper format you can subscribe)
The Sun
The Mirror
ITN Sites, e.g. Channel 4 News
The Scotsman (a surprisingly large online presence)
The sites you mention: FT and Telegraph, it isn't surprising they charge as they have concentrated readerships with higher levels of disposable income, so why not go for a straightforward revenue model?
I have no doubt that the popularity of BBC news is for reasons consistent with the popularity of their television and radio news: high quality and impartial in a way commercially sponsored news could not be (commercial news also remains very popular: the total cross-media circulation of ITN, Times, Sun, etc is massive).