Time Warner Inc. Chief Executive Jeffrey Bewkes chimed in yesterday with the chorus of publishers wondering how much longer newspapers and magazines can afford to keep giving away their stories on the Internet.

“It makes no sense, as you all know, to run a publishing business with no cost for the content,” Bewkes said at an investor conference in New York. His remarks were streamed online.

Like other publications, Time Warner’s magazines — a group that includes Time, Fortune, People and Sports Illustrated — have been hurt by a steep decline in print advertising. Time Warner’s publishing division suffered a 30 percent drop in ad revenue in the first quarter.

Bewkes didn’t specify whether any of Time Warner’s magazines will embrace online fees to increase their revenue.