A little more fuel for the anti-premium fire ... APN’s New Zealand Herald is dropping the premium subscription service started by nzherald.co.nz in late 2005. The site relaunched last December with a two-month free trial for premium content access and Monday announced it was breaking down the paywall to archives and columns for good, according to m-net. Premium fees paid since December 14, 2006 will be refunded completely.

One reason for the shift: Jeremy Rees, the multimedia editor responsible for the site, told m-net that online advertising has changed considerably since the service launched. That changing online ad market is pushing other media outlets towards opening access—CNN recently made the same decision about subscription video—but some—think TimesSelect—are still pursuing a blended subscription-ad strategy.

Bonus link: The latest rate card for APN Digital Sales.