NY Times tacks fee to news alerts

The New York Times said it has begun charging a $19.95 yearly subscription fee for its e-mail news alerts. The service allows people to receive news headlines and briefs sorted by topics, bylines and tickers. Subscribers can receive up to 10 alerts and have access to the stories for 90 days instead of the standard one week.

The Times's Web site also charges additional fees for its crossword puzzle and for archived stories. A company representative said the site will continue to be primarily a free, advertising-supported site but layered with paid services in other areas. The Times' 500,000 news alerts users will have two weeks to begin paying for the service.