In late October, Newsday, the Long Island daily that the Dolans bought for $650 million, put its web site, newsday.com, behind a pay wall. The paper was one of the first non-business newspapers to take the plunge by putting up a pay wall, so in media circles it has been followed with interest. Could its fate be a sign of what others, including The New York Times, might expect?

So, three months later, how many people have signed up to pay $5 a week, or $260 a year, to get unfettered access to newsday.com?

The answer: 35 people. As in fewer than three dozen. As in a decent-sized elementary-school class.

Oh, you Dolans. $5 a week? Get out.

The CNN cable television news network said on Thursday it would stop using the Reuters news service, ending a 27-year relationship, to cut costs and invest in its own news gathering operations.

The global television news network owned by the world's largest media company, Time Warner (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research), said in an internal memo that it wanted to reduce reliance on agency material while achieving better control of its growth.

"This is all about us, not Reuters. This is about content ownership," CNN spokesman Nigel Pritchard said. "Everything is changing and content ownership is king."

CNN will stop using Reuters text, photography and television material from Friday.