Gannett told investors Wednesday that it will limit access to its content for those who don't subscribe and that it expects the move to paid content will generate an additional $100 million in earnings beginning in 2013.

The company plans to charge for all of its digital content. USA Today, Gannett's nationally distributed newspaper, is not part of the pay-to-view plan.

Gannett owns 80 community newspapers. Aside from The Star, it also owns the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Newspapers and other online content providers have struggled to come up with a model, whether advertising based or through payments from subscribers, to monetize the content to the level needed to cover costs.

According to a Forbes report, Gannett's pay wall plan is similar to one used by the New York Times in which readers can view a limited number of pages for free each month before being blocked unless they pay.

Star employees were tweeting about the change shortly after it was announced.

"My guess is there will be initial reticence about paying for online content, but over time, readers will see what they're missing," tweeted sports columnist Bob Kravitz.