Local news outlets are under threat in the digital era, and many are closing or merging with other news media due to the loss in advertising and audiences. A sustainable business model to replace traditional dependence on advertising has not yet been established. This paper examines one aspect of the business – audience payment – to explore the viability of online news subscription models in the context of local news. An online survey of 2038 news consumers in regional Australia was conducted in 2019 to examine regional news audiences’ perception of the value of news as a social good and their willingness to pay for it. The results show that interest in supporting a new online local news outlet was largely determined by community-oriented values such as a sense of belonging, the ability to share the news with others, and the loss of a local news service, rather than the actual content. However, the quality of the journalism content was positively related to the audiences’ willingness to pay. Trust in local news and existing local news consumption were important factors in determining both the interest in supporting local news and their willingness to pay for it. These findings highlight the tension between the social and financial value of regional news and the obstacles facing entrepreneurs hoping to address the growing news gaps in regional communities.

在数字时代，本地新闻媒体正受到威胁，由于广告和受众的减少，许多新闻媒体正在关闭或与其他新闻媒体合并。替代传统的广告依赖的可持续商业模式尚未建立。本文研究了业务的一个方面（受众支付），以探索本地新闻环境中在线新闻订阅模型的可行性。2019年对澳大利亚地区的2038名新闻消费者进行了在线调查，以调查地区新闻受众对新闻作为社会公益的价值的感知以及他们为之付费的意愿。结果表明，对支持新的本地在线新闻媒体的兴趣很大程度上取决于面向社区的价值观，例如归属感，与他人共享新闻的能力，并且损失了本地新闻服务，而不是实际内容。但是，新闻内容的质量与受众的支付意愿成正比。对本地新闻的信任和现有本地新闻的消费是确定支持本地新闻的兴趣及其支付意愿的重要因素。这些发现凸显了区域新闻的社会和金融价值与希望解决区域社区日益扩大的新闻鸿沟的企业家所面临的障碍之间的紧张关系。对本地新闻的信任和现有本地新闻的消费是确定支持本地新闻的兴趣及其支付意愿的重要因素。这些发现凸显了区域新闻的社会和金融价值与希望解决区域社区日益扩大的新闻鸿沟的企业家所面临的障碍之间的紧张关系。对本地新闻的信任和现有本地新闻的消费是确定支持本地新闻的兴趣及其支付意愿的重要因素。这些发现凸显了区域新闻的社会和金融价值与希望解决区域社区日益扩大的新闻鸿沟的企业家所面临的障碍之间的紧张关系。