In a move which is being viewed as another sign to support the fact that print media industry has shifted heavily in favor of making internet content paid, regional newspaper group Johnston Press has confirmed its plans of charging for the online content of some of its popular local titles.

Starting Monday, some of the company's website will be incorporated with "paywalls", making Johnston the first UK regional publisher to experiment with the scheme which giants like News Corp. are also seriously considering and supporting. Readers who turned to the internet for six major Johnston titles, including the Northumberland Gazette and the Workshop Guardian, will now have to shell out 5 Pounds for a three month subscription to access complete write-ups.

Currently being introduced as an experiment, therefore applicable only to a limited number of titles, the scheme will be judged by the group, which is run by John Fry, to determine whether or not it has been a success, and then, if successful, will be rolled-out to include all of the Johnston Press's publications.

The print media and publishing sectors are among the hardest hit in the recent global recession, recording falling circulation and revenue number. Keeping this in mind, and the fact that most of the world is now online most of the time, to start charging for online content seems to be the most viable thing to make sure that the hurt sector is nudged towards recovery.