The $14.95 fee is also above what other papers on average are charging for online access. In a sign that the Telegram & Gazette is very much hoping that some website visitors will now simply subscribe to the print edition, the newspaper is bundling a “limited-time offer” of seven-day delivery of the newspaper with an online subscription.

Publisher Bruce Gaultney has said the decision is not the result of corporate pressure from the New York Times Co., which is set to introduce a meter model at the NYT early next year. Details on how that model will work are still in the works; we reported earlier this month on some that are under consideration. An online paywall is also a possibility at the New York Times Co.-owned Boston Globe.

The Telegram & Gazette had told readers back in April that it was planning to charge “as a way to recognize the value of local news” and it is repeating that message in a notice to readers today.