Advertisers use the service free of charge. NICC already is facing a fair amount of resistance from the newspapers, which are unsure of the value of a purely Web-based system. The Los Angeles Times , The New York Times , and the Chicago Tribune are all still considering whether to sign up. If they don't, that could be a crippling blow to the venture. You can't advertise nationally without Chicago.
Newspapers have good reason for concern.
NICC is designed primarily to help advertisers running national campaigns. Then we'd end up having to pay a commission on all that revenue. Regional press associations, which have long dominated the one order, one bill market, have helped make it fiercely competitive. And several national rivals could give NICC a run for its money. Plus, Media Passage can bill directly into the media buyers' accounting software, a service NICC does not provide.