The New York Times, which has long charged for use of its old content on the web, announced early today that it will cease charging for online access to a substantial portion of its archives:

The move comes two years to the day after The Times began the subscription program, TimesSelect, which has charged $49.95 a year, or $7.95 a month, for online access to the work of its columnists and to the newspaper’s archives. TimesSelect has been free to print subscribers to The Times and to some students and educators.

In addition to opening the entire site to all readers, The Times will also make available its archives from 1987 to the present without charge, as well as those from 1851 to 1922, which are in the public domain. There will be charges for some material from the period 1923 to 1986, and some will be free.

The move reflects a growing trend by newspapers to shift away from the pay-for-content revenue model and towards a model with online advertising at its center.

The change will take effect tonight at midnight.

[NY Times] Times to Stop Charging for Parts of Its Web Site