I remain perplexed as to why The New York Times Magazine, one of the best and most successful weekly magazines in the nation, is regularly placed online for free, and days ahead of its Sunday print version.

That aside, I mention the publication because this week's edition, online for free days early again, offers a unique look at one man's plan for a new newspaper that pays writers based on ad revenue. The man, Sam Apple, is looking at his new product, The Faster Times, as the new way.

“In one sense, The Faster Times was supposed to be a traditional publication, staffed by trained journalists covering a wide range of beats and guided by a coherent editorial mission,” the story reports. “Where Apple's model departed from convention, as a matter of necessity, was in the area of compensation. He couldn't afford to offer salaries and benefits, or even flat freelance fees, so instead he promised contributors 75 percent of the revenues from all advertisements placed next to their articles. Payments would start small, but if The Faster Times prospered, as Apple hoped, so would its writers.”

We shall see.