I think this is going to be a case of every writer needing a brand and following. People aren't going to be hired as much for their ability to churn out automatable articles, but by the audience they can bring with them due to their style and skills. An example would be if Jason Fried's or Joel Spolskey's column in Inc. I will go to the Inc site just to read their articles because I respect their opinion, they have expertise and write about subjects that I care about. If their columns moved somewhere else, I'd read them there and maybe read other stories that catch my eye. They are valuable because of their audience.