Pheedo's Bill Flitter has written an article at Cnet describing what he calls the 'RSS Effect'.  The article is spot on.
"Unfortunately, most of these media companies do not yet understand the impact that RSS is having on their Web site traffic, also known as the "RSS Effect." They know even less about how to monetize this new content channel.

Moreover, they don't know who's using it, when and how. And most important, they don't know how much traffic and revenue their Web properties will forgo as a result. To publishers, the whole issue of RSS is not a question of "if" but of "when."

...The challenge for publishers and marketers is to develop more personalized content that enhances, rather than disrupts, the new consumer-controlled model."