Is the New York Times going to charge for their WPF reader?

Very interesting post by Staci Kramer over at paidContent. She quotes a spokeswoman at the New York Times as having this to say about the possibility of charging for the NYT reader that was built with Microsoft using Windows Presentation Foundation:

We're still working on this and haven’t announced anything at this point. There are several different approaches we’re looking at.

But Stacy also notes a comment from Arthur Sulzberger, the chairman of the New York Times Company:

'I very much believe that the experience of reading a paper can be transferred to these new devices.' Will it be free? No, Sulzberger says. If you want to read the New York Times online, you will have to pay."

I was one of many to cover the NYT reader and I still think it's a great application. What I find so interesting about this development is that a man like Sulzberger sees the richer interface as a value add that the company can charge for. Currently, web content from the New York Times is available with a free account, but as the world becomes more digital, the company needs to find a way to monetize their content. Part of that is advertising, but it seems that another part of it might be charging for a richer digital experience. That's a good sign for RIAs