NYT, I think, is about $12 per month or something thereabouts. I pay it, and I pay it happily. Up until very recently the idea that you get to read the Times or any other paper for free was not even an idea. That is, no one would have ever even conceived that the only thing they were actually paying for was the delivery guy showing up at 5:00 every morning. Seriously, wtf? I love the times (as anyone who follows me can probably figure out), and I would feel like a thief reading it for free every day. It's a valuable part of my morning, and for the <$0.50 it costs me every day (one quarter the price of the coffee I drink while I read, FWIW) there's no reason not to pay. I know that traditional news is dying a wretched death, but I'm going to continue to do my part to keep them on life support for as long as I have the option.
I think the thing that's happening is that all those newspapers that existed as wire-service and ad-delivery media are dying a horrible death. I remain unconvinced that news per se is doomed, but I think we need to acquaint ourselves with a new revenue model other than "dead trees" or "free."