Reed Business Information is discussing the notion of paying journalists according to the number of page views their work earns. They'd accept a lesser salary and be given bonuses on the basis of the Web traffic their work generated.
It has a faint echo of the recent kerfuffle at Gawker, where a number of contributors groused about the approach.
After all, page impressions are only one measurement --- and one that can be distorted rather easily --- and have the potential to induce very-low-common-denominator work. More difficult work, which may not produce as much traffic, might be diminished.
If we were to organize newspapers or newscasts on the basis of audience, a number of things would disappear. The newsroom's total package is what drives budgets that in turn accord compensation.
Many organizations provide bonuses when traffic objectives are reached, but moving to a new pay-per-view formula would be quite a grenade.