(Crain's) — The Chicago Tribune will begin charging online readers for access to content and is considering a "creative way" to do that, said Gerould Kern, the paper's editor.

"I think we will begin to charge in a selective way," Mr. Kern told a group gathered to hear him speak at the Niagara Foundation in Chicago. "That's coming."

In his comments during a question-and-answer session, Mr. Kern said he wasn't prepared to make a formal announcement on the topic or say when the newspaper will begin seeking payment. Still, he said the paper is reviewing ways to tap revenue from its online product.

One Chicago Tribune rival has already made the leap to have online visitors pay. The parent of the Chicago Sun-Times began charging readers to access most news on its websites after a certain number of monthly visits.

(See related story: "Sun-Times moves to charge online visitors.")

The Chicago Tribune's parent, Tribune Co., is trying to boost income and reduce costs, including through editorial job cuts, to chart a path out of bankruptcy, possibly by the third quarter. Online revenue is one new stream the company is targeting.

"We do have to get more money from that in the future," Mr. Kern told the group.

He noted that one of the company's sister publications, the Baltimore Sun, has begun charging for online access. In October it began giving users 15 free page views per month before asking them to consider paying $2.49 per week or $49.99 for six months of unlimited access. It discounts the rate for print subscribers.

Newspapers are turning to readers for more income since advertising has declined as a percent of revenue, Mr. Kern said. He noted that advertising used to provide about 80 percent of the Chicago Tribune's revenue but now makes up only about 65 percent to 75 percent. Advertisers have more options today, and that's changing the business model, he said.

"The consumer has to pay more of the cost of news," he said, pointing to European papers as examples of companies that charge more and deliver a high-quality product.

Mr. Kern also told the Niagara Foundation — a Turkish-American organization based in Chicago that focuses on intercultural relations — that the Tribune's prior approach to international coverage, including placing foreign correspondents in a number of countries, was "no longer viable," partly because the paper wasn't distinguishing its coverage from other news sources enough to make it worthwhile. He said he would like to develop a new approach with a focus on international stories that have a Chicago connection, he said.

"We're now in the midst of rethinking how we do this," he said during the question-and-answer session.

The paper has been seeking to reduce its newsroom staff and recently offered a buyout program to its editorial employees. In an interview after his presentation Mr. Kern declined to say how many employees had agreed to participate in the buyout by its Jan. 30 deadline or whether it will be enough to stave off layoffs.