Jon Mitchell wrote an article called Websites Have to Get Better, where he says-
Read-later apps are competition for noisy, ad-ridden websites. They represent a simple fact: Users hate our sites.
He gives various ideas for increasing value to visitors such as live streaming, multi media, and tools that encourage community like forums and commenting. The problem I see is that none of these address the basic issue he already called out.
I don’t think that content is the problem. At issue is the fact that very few writers/sites have a way of bringing in enough revenue without displaying an ever-increasing number of ads. The few that do, get my direct visit on a regular basis. The rest, if the content is there, get read in Reeder- or if there isn’t time, Instapaper.