But that's silly. BP mag doesn't get money every time I look at an ad, they only get money when they sell me the magazine. Once they sell me my copy, they have their money. All that is a done deal - done, over, paid for, and I got the t-shirt. And that's a fact. There is absolutely no way they or anyone else knows what ads I look at or how many times I look at them - so it is completely different from TV. Once again I find your argument far from compelling.
Anyway, adding a feature that lets me better use the magazines I *already own* - and have already read from cover to cover - would only help to secure my loyalty and keep my subscription sold. Whereas without that feature now I am going to let my subscription lapse.
Also, when I am searching for a particular transcription I am just looking at the covers. The transcriptions are always listed on the cover. So I am not looking through the magazines, not looking at ads that were sold and paid for decades ago, not doing what you asserted is happening. Your argument is utterly besides the point and incorrect.
BP isn't creating an online index because think they're saving money, but serving your customer is the old fashioned way of doing business: creating loyalty and building a relationship that could last a lifetime. They also sell reprints at an very high price; the index would drive reprint sales as well. They are being penny-wise and pound-foolish, and their declining circulation and revenue reflect that, as well as reflecting the changing landscape of the print media market.
You can never lead. The magazine (or TV station, or web site, or radio station) ALWAYS leads the dance.
