The content sharing arrangement comes several months after editors and publishers from six Ohio newspapers penned a Dec. 21 letter to AP that claimed both new rates and news practices were unacceptable to them, declaring, "we pay nearly $4 million annually to the AP. That's a hefty sum even during the best of times -- and we all would certainly agree that these are not the best of times."

The letter, sent to AP President Tom Curley, went on to cite the AP rate structure change in 2007 that included some decreases, but did not go far enough, in their view. "…all of us are struck by the fact that, at a time when our revenues are declining, AP is presenting a new cost structure that, best we can tell, holds our costs constant or near constant," the letter states. "If we were in a flat revenue environment, this might work. But as you know, this is not the case. The environment now is extremely challenging and the new structure seems not to acknowledge the current reality."

That letter was signed by Winges, Tom Callinan of the Cincinnati Enquirer; Susan Goldberg of the Plain Dealer; Benjamin J. Marrison of the Columbus Dispatch; Ron Royhab of The Blade; and Todd Franko of the Vindicator in Youngstown. Publishers from each paper also signed the letter, except for the Vindicator, which offered general manager Mark Brown's name.

Royhab said at the time the letter was prompted by a meeting of the editors involved in December in Columbus, Ohio, where they sought to bring their complaints to AP officials.

"We believe AP needs to be more cooperative with working with us on a cost structure that is more cost-effective," Royhab said Tuesday about the letter. The Ohio letter also laid out complaints about several issues beyond fees, including the delay in moving breaking stories on the wire, failing to credit newspapers for some stories, and denying requests for coverage of state events.

The sharing has apparently already begun, according to Managing Editor Alan D. Miller of The Columbus Dispatch. He said his paper ran a story on B-3 today from The Plain Dealer of Cleveland about a Thursday speech by State Higher Education Chancellor Eric Fingerhut in Akron. The Dispatch Web site also linked to the Plain Dealer story.

He said it would have cost his paper time and resources to send a reporter to Akron, and noted that the AP version of coverage was not sent out until after midnight. "It is all about serving readers," Miller said of the sharing arrangement.

AP Spokesman Paul Colford responded to the new arrangement with a statement that said, in part: "As The Associated Press announced months ago, it will empower newspapers to set up their own member-to-member sharing of content via AP Exchange, a highly versatile and robust platform.

"A beta test now winding down in Florida will be followed next month by an introduction of AP Exchange’s content-sharing feature in six states, including Ohio, and an expansion to all other states in the months thereafter," Colford continued. "If the papers wish, they will be able to upload photos, stories and graphics to share with other papers in their states while excluding their competitors. Members also will be able to share material with papers beyond their states, such as in those in the same group."

Ohio is ground zero for the widening rift between the AP and its member newspapers. Ben Marrison, editor of the Columbus Dispatch, says a recent trial in Akron involving the theft of state money epitomizes members' frustrations. Before the trial Mr. Marrison placed a call to the AP Ohio bureau to find out if it would be sending a reporter.

In the past, Mr. Marrison says, he could usually count on the AP to cover such a trial if he wanted to commit more reporters to a bigger story. When he was told the AP wouldn't have a reporter there, he sent one of his own to Akron. Shortly after the story was posted on the Dispatch's Web site, an AP staffer rewrote it for a broader audience and put the new version on the state wire. "So it was important enough for them to move, but not important enough for them to cover," Mr. Marrison said. "What has happened is we've become the wire service for the wire service."

Some newspapers have attempted to reduce their reliance on the AP. This past spring, prompted by unhappiness with the AP's fees and reduced coverage of state and local news, the eight largest newspapers in Ohio created a cooperative called the Ohio News Organization, or OHNO, which allows its members to sidestep the AP by sharing stories. Five Montana newspapers owned by the newspaper concern Lee Enterprises Inc. have also begun sharing more content. And editors in Texas, Pennsylvania and Indiana have quietly inquired about how the Ohio cooperative works.