Sunday, December 13, 2009

Study reinforces newspaper audience strength

It's not news any more, but a Scarborough study shows that 74 percent of Americans are reading a newspaper each week, either online or in print. That follows other studies with similar results.

The audience also skews upscale, 84 percent college graduate, 82 percent of households earning more than $100,000 and 79 percent of white collar Americans read newspapers. Now, how to translate that into revenue?

1 comment:

Jaclyn Blackburn said...

This past Sunday was my second of my newly acquired subscription to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I was initially very excited to do my part to support print-based media, and thoroughly enjoyed combing the paper's specialty sections throughout the week. As the next Sunday came closer, I eagerly envisioned how I'd rise early, grab my paper, and troll through the headlines before church. Upon my return, I'd fix a light lunch, and then spend the rest of the afternoon alternately enjoying the paper and football.


My paper didn't show.
My point is, if newspapers want to capitalize on an interested public (and potential audience), they need to be better than average and closer to perfect. When readers take a chance on them, the newspapers need to respond with a tremendous product, one on which readers become hooked and decide they can’t live without. It’s time to learn to sell the IDEA of print journalism again, not the ads within, but the medium itself as a way of life.