From the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Full story here

Newspaper readership remains strong in smaller cities and towns

CASR Research shows consistent trends

Readers in areas served by community newspapers continue to prefer the community newspaper as their primary source of local news and advertising according to the 2011 National Newspaper Association research survey. The survey, conducted by the Center for Advanced Social Research (CASR), a program of the Reynolds Journalism Institute, shows that readers prefer the printed copy to the online version, with 48 percent saying the never read the local news online.

Since 2005, NNA has done research on how people read and what they think about their local newspaper. Results have been consistent over the years, even as sample and community sizes have been adjusted slightly

Other highlights from the research include:

• 74% of people in communities with a newspaper circulation under 15,000 read a local newspaper each week.
• 74% of those readers, on average, share their papers with 2.33 persons
• They spent about 40 minutes reading their local newspapers
• 73% read most or all of their community newspapers
• 61% of readers read local news very often in their community newspapers, while 48% say they never read local news online (only 11 percent say they read local news very often online)
• Of those going online for local news, 52% found it on the local newspaper’s website, compared to 20% for sites such as Yahoo, MSN or Google, and 25% for the website of a local television station
• 40% read editorials or letters to the editor very often in their newspapers, while 64% never read editorials or letters to the editor online
• 80% think governments should be required to publish public notices in newspapers
• Of those with Internet access at home, 89% have broadband access

The local community newspaper is the primary source of information about the local community for 51.8 % of respondents compared to seeking information from friends and relatives (16%) and TV (13.2%). Readers are seven times more likely to get their news from their community newspapers than from the internet (7.4%). Fewer than 6% say their primary local news source is radio.

NNA President Reed Afinson, publisher or the Swift County (MN) Monitor-News in Benson, Minn., said the study demonstrates that citizens believe in newspapers.

“The survey shows a majority of respondents believe that the newspaper does a better job of providing background and depth on stories essential to citizens,” Anfinson said. “Further, the newspaper is more useful to them personally than any other news source. It not only highlights the strong bond between local communities and their newspapers, but demonstrates that people do value good journalism.”

From Print In the Mix. Full story here

Community Newspapers Continue to Show Strong Readership

Readers also say they read most or all of their community newspapers (78 percent), and of those going online for local news, 55 percent found it on the local newspaper’s website, compared to 17 percent for sites such as Yahoo, MSN or Google, and 26 percent for the website of a local TV station.

The National Newspaper Association survey examines the patterns of community newspaper readership, and is conducted for the NNA by the research arm of the Reynolds Journalism Institute  at the Missouri School of Journalism.

The early data indicate that the positive findings are consistent with the earlier surveys:

• Those readers, on average, share their paper with 3.34 persons.

• They spend about 37.5 minutes reading their local newspapers.

• 78 percent read most or all of their community newspapers.

• 41 percent keep their community newspapers six or more days (shelf life).

• 62 percent of readers read local news very often in their community newspapers, while 54 percent say they never read local news online (only 9 percent say they read local news very often online).

• 75 percent think governments should be required to publish public notices in newspapers, with 23 percent reading public notices very often in their newspapers.

• 71 percent have Internet access in the home, but 66 percent never visit a website of a local government.

• Of those with Internet access at home, 89 percent have broadband access.

The local community newspaper is the primary source of information about the local community for 49.3 percent of respondents. The next best source are friends and relatives for 18 percent of respondents and TV, 16 percent. Readers are nearly seven times more likely to get their local news from their community newspapers than from the Internet (7.7 percent). Less than 6 percent say their primary local news source is radio.

From the Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP: 

How Print Helps the Internet

Telegraph.co.uk became the first British newspaper website when it was launched 15 years ago.

When I took over the editorship of the fledgling Telegraph internet site early in 1995, two questions were constantly being posed to me. The first was: how can you make money out of something you give away free? The second was: does this mean the end of newspapers? The first of these questions was always the most tricky, because, in reality, no one had a clue how we were going to make money. The Telegraph's internet operation was essentially a marketing initiative with a brief to explore this new medium and report back. No one said anything about making money, although reader offers were always part of the mix from the start, so there was a token nod in the direction of commerce.

I recall a rather a rather scary meeting with the then proprietor Conrad Black, who asked me the same question. I pointed out to him that he was always complaining that city analysists undervalued the share price of Hollinger (which owned the Telegraph) and that one of the reasons they gave was that the company did not have an internet strategy. By backing an internet newspaper, I reasoned, he would show them that he did have a strategy and his share price would rise accordingly - so at least he would make some money that way. The answer seemed to satisfy him and we were allowed to keep going.

The longer term answer remains elusive. Short of charging for content, no one really is completely sure 15 years later. And although the telegraph's internet operations do attract many millions of advertising revenue now, these revenues are still smaller than the sales and advertising revenue of the print titles.

As to the second question, my answer remains the same as it was then: of course the internet doesn't spell the end of newspapers. No new medium has ever sunk an older one without trace. Contrary to popular musical mythology, video didn't kill the radio star (although DVD and Blu Ray have certainly given video a kicking) and TV didn't kill radio - in fact, radio is going from strength to strength, while a lot of TV is struggling to survive.

And the longer time goes on, the more convinced I am that that the internet needs newspapers. The reason is simple: people like reading, and whilst reading from a screen is bearable for short items, it gets tedious for anything more than a few hundred words. I'm prepared to bet that the majority of people, young and old alike, when they find something online they want to give detailed study to - whether its an article or the terms and conditions of their holiday booking - the first thing they do is hit the 'print' button so they can sit down with a bit of paper in their hands.

I think there's something deeply ingrained in the DNA of post Gutenberg culture concerning typography and design - and nowhere do you find more exciting an innovative typeography and design than in mass ciculation newspapers and the plethora of magazine and supplements they bring in their wake. And whilst the design of websites has advanced from the rather sparse minimalism that characterised our efforts 15 years ago, they still have a long way to go before they can replicate the best that newspapers have to offer.

But beyond the aesthetic argument, there's a more profound argument about the centrality of newspapers, and this is to do with the business of telling stories, and creating compelling narratives. If you examine the world's great online sources of news and opinion, for example, the vast majority of them have sprung from newspapers or from broadcast organisations with strong roots in newspaper journalism culture.

So, in a curious way, things have come full circle. Fifteen years ago, the Telegraph newspapers needed an internet site to help transform the brand image of the paper, to make it seem more modern and relevant. Now, I think, when our internet presence has made us a global brand, we need the newspaper even more to remind those readers why they value what they are reading.

The Newspaper Association of America can usually be counted on to put the best spin on the difficult situation facing publications. Here is the latest:

"As a researcher, I can share with you what the numbers show about the newspaper business. Scarborough Research has tracked the audiences of newspapers for more than 35 year. Our 2009 measurements indicate that, in contrast to stereotypes or misconceptions, readership of newspapers, while declining, is still relatively strong and part of our routine and culture. According to our latest newspaper ratings:

·74% of adults read a paper in print or online during the past week. Newspaper readership in some markets reach upwards of 90%.

·19% visited a newspaper website during the past week.

·70% of American adults (18+) read a printed newspaper during an average week.

While the numbers speak for themselves, I understand why readership may be in question. Media has spent more than a decade incorporating online platforms into our strategies. Hear the word "newspaper" and we think exclusively of paper and ink editions. But the reality is that newspapers have become more than the traditional printed copy. Scarborough data demonstrates that newspapers are successfully extending their audiences online, providing a 4% "lift" in readership to their print companions."

The below survey from the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) is interesting. This survey neatly fits into the NAA's world-view. Generally said, the NAA appears to have stopped worrying about how to make print work a while ago and now is primarily interested in telling its members they need nicer websites (I have been to their conferences and listened to one heartfelt forum in which the presenter debated the value of employing "hot or cold" colors on a homepage- "orange might be a little too aggressive.") One problem: advertisers don't appear to agree (perceived value of online newspaper ads - banner and otherwise - is still substantially less than print products) and since the overall value of online ads gets diluted by the enormous volume available, that is not likely to change anytime soon. Which is ok, if you only have a website but for a news gathering organization it makes paying the bills pretty tough.

Here is the survey info:

Update on the Print / Online Newspaper Audience
 Information seeking consumers, including newspaper readers, regularly use both print and online in their search for news and information.  A June release from The Media Audit states that people who are considered heavy print newspaper readers spend about as much time online as the typical U.S. adult.  People who spend at least one hour per day reading a newspaper also spend 3.7 hours per day online. As reported by Media Post   and NAA's OPU blog,  the research also revealed that the average U.S. adult has almost doubled their daily use of the Internet between 2006 to 2008 - from 2.1 hours per day online to 3.8 hours per day online. The Web now represents about one-third of a typical "media day" for U.S. adults.

This willingness to cross platforms on any given day also works to extend the effective print / online reach of newspapers.  According to The Media Audit report seven daily newspapers have achieved a net unduplicated reach of 80% or more when the past 30-day website visitor figure is combined with the past month print readership figure.

Source: The Media Audit, MediaPost, Scarborough Research and NAA

More proof that newspapers are still a valuable source of information; thus a profitable place for advertising…

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Magazines_22/One_place_where_print_media_still_rules.asp