At the American Society of News Editors conference this week, a group of newsroom leaders said the new technologies they have to use have improved news coverage and presentation.

But that has yet to result in major online revenue boosts, or any other major income, according to an Associated Press report.

“Newspapers have tried to make the transition to the Web largely by relying on advertising, which traditionally covered most of the costs of doing business in print,” AP reports from the conference. “But advertisers have been willing to spend a small fraction of what they used to pay for print promotions on digital ads.”

It later added: “Opinions differ on how to reverse things. Executives at ASNE this week were split, for instance, over how much money news Web sites could bring in by putting up 'pay walls' and charging readers for access. Some specialized newspapers, such as The Wall Street Journal, or locally focused publications such as the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette have done well by restricting Web access to subscribers. But the move risks driving readers - and then advertisers - away, which is why The New York Times is moving carefully. It plans to begin a 'metered' Web system, with nonsubscribers getting only so many articles for free, in early 2011."