In the O.C., Readers Have to Pay Tab

By: Jennifer Saba The Orange County (Calif.) Register launched a new offshoot titled OC Post on Aug. 21.

Like other recent niche products, the OC Post is a tab, with condensed news. It's a home- delivered rarity, and skews toward a younger demo. But what sets it apart from other niche papers is that readers have to pony up to get it ? 25 cents at the newsstand, and $39.99 for a yearly subscription. The paper's goal is to net 140,000 subscribers and to sell an additional 10,000 newsstand copies.

"If it were free, [people] would consider it a throwaway," says OC Post Editor in Chief N. Christian Anderson III, who also serves as the the Orange County Register's publisher.

The tab is positioned to attract young suburban couples with children and above-average household incomes ? people who don't already read the Orange County Register.

"The No. 1 reason that [subscribers] discontinue the Register is that they have no time to read," Anderson notes. "We would happily have them as readers of the OC Post if they are not finding the Register useful."