Christian Science Monitor is surviving online

Though newspapers nationwide continue to struggle for survival amid the economic downturn and free Internet news content, at least one seems to be making the switch from daily newsprint to online news with support from print subscribers.

Two board members who help oversee operation of the Christian Science Monitor, along with other facets of the Boston-based faith, were in Salt Lake City recently and told the Deseret News their new online operation has managed to retain most of its print subscribers.

"There was hostility when we first announced (the change), and we got some push-back, but now we have 92 percent who had been subscribing to the daily that are online, plus we've added about 5,000 subscribers," said Margaret Rogers, chairwoman of the Christian Science board of directors.

The move online six months ago is still a discussion point for many but has become an important bellwether for dealing with social change and finding balance within the faith itself, said board member Nate Talbot.

"It's been very significant for us and what many people would say is important to preserve," as part of the faith's outreach.

"The fact that we have gone through the transition with a strong, unified sense throughout the movement is part of the evidence of what has gone on the last four years in trying to find ways to work together," as different factions within the church grapple with a variety of societal issues.

Though the daily online edition of the Monitor can be accessed free, as most newspaper Web sites now can, the move online coincided with publication of a weekly print edition of the Monitor, a daily e-mail digest five days per week and a three-page weekly news summary e-mail sent to subscribers for $5.75 per month.

While the paper has its share of Christian Science-oriented advertisers including church camps, schools and nursing facilities, the revenue from those sources has been small, Rogers said. "We have no dedicated, large advertisers."

"We've been reaching for the right balance," as board members have traveled weekly during the past four years to visit various congregations and hear about their concerns for the future of the faith and its teachings, Talbot said. "We're looking to preserve what is truly sacred while recognizing the changing world."

He said the newspaper's daily print edition had only about 50,000 subscribers when the operation moved online, where up to 2 million people now access its content.

Talbot said he's not sure yet how the weekly and daily online digests will ultimately settle with subscribers, "but we've had a great response to the online edition."