The Associated Press has announced reductions in its rates and more options on its contents, at its annual meeting in San Diego. According to a press release from the AP, all the changes come as a "direct result of member input" and will come into effect on January 1st 2010. "We feel it is critical to help our members during these extremely difficult times, and these numbers show our deep commitment to doing that," said chairman Dean Singleton.

Approximately $35 million of rate reductions will be made, and a 'Limited' version of the AP's 'Member Choice Complete' service will be launched, for publications with "minimal world and national coverage needs". Members will also have the option to cancel their membership with a year's notice period, as opposed to the current two-year limit, although those that continue with the two-year period will receive a further discount on their subscription.

The announcement comes in the midst of a tough economic climate for many newspapers, some of which have chosen to drop their AP subscription. Metro US, for example, recently announced it would be terminating the contract, with editor-in-chief Tony Metcalf admitting that "one factor in our decision was cost, something that cannot be ignored in these difficult economic times".

Source: Associated Press