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| The Growing Audience blog features regular postings regarding business strategies, market forces and new technologies that impact the audience development initiatives at media companies. Many of these postings reflect current news headlines as summarized in the Growing Audience e-alert which publishes on Thursdays, others may come from you, the audience.
Please feel free to contact me with your interest in creating and posting a blog entry by emailing me at john.murray@naa.org or by phone at 571.366.1030. |
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E-alert: When There's No Print Edition, Do Readers Flock to the Web?
Inside this Edition:
- When There's No Print Edition, Do Readers Flock to the Web?
- Pubs Bulk up With 'Super Blogs'
- Printcasting, a 2008 Knight News Challenge Winner, Goes National
- Teens Make Time for Digital and Traditional Media
Circulation News:
- Update on the Print / Online Newspaper Audience
- Local Ordinances can Impact Non-Subscriber Delivery
- Newspapers Continue to Search for the TV Book Solution
- Michael Jackson's Death Sparks Single Copy Sales and Special Editions
FREE Webinars:
- Measuring Your Carbon Footprint
- The Newspaper Web Site -- Digital Value Proposition
- Successful Circulation Strategies for Building the New Business Model: NAA's 2009 Circulation Facts, Figures & Logic
When There's No Print Edition, Do Readers Flock to the Web? 
While there is no definitive answer to this question yet, a special report by Editor&Publishers seeks to address to identify what happens to a newspaper's Web traffic once the print edition folds or is eliminated on certain days. The article reviews the results of these experiments at dailies in Seattle, Denver and Mesa, Arizona, as well as smaller papers in Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. According to the latest annual study of the impact of online technology by the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, 22 percent of Web users stopped their subscription to a printed newspaper or magazine because they could access the same content online.
For more information and case studies on factors to consider before reducing print publishing frequency, read NAA's report "Reducing Frequency: A Strategic Framework."
Source: Editor&Publisher and NAA
Pubs Bulk up With 'Super Blogs'
The Tribune Company recently launched the super-blog site, ChicagoNow, with over 30 local personalities and garnering as many as 140,000 page views during the first six days of the beta launch. This site, along with the Miami Herald's "South Florida Blogs" which features 250 blogs, reveals newspapers shift towards becoming platform-agnostic local information providers. The sites not only help to brand the paper as the primary source for all local information, but they provide additional traffic and revenue streams to the independent bloggers making it an appealing proposition to both parties. "So far, the advertiser response has been tremendous," said Bill Adee, the Chicago Tribune's editor of digital media. "Everybody in the newspaper business knows that getting that local advertiser online is key."
Source: News&Technology
Printcasting, a 2008 Knight News Challenge Winner, Goes National
Printcasting, a service producing custom-created newspapers and magazines based on a users specific interest selected by the user, is going national with new partners from MediaNews Group. The service was created by 2008 Knight News Challenge Winner Dan Pacheco, formerly with The Bakersfield-Californian. "The most natural partners for local promotion are newspapers because they have local content, local people , and an interest in growing local audience and revenue," says Pacheco. "Printcasting offers a way for them to do that at lower cost while also leveraging content from bloggers in their communities."
Source: Poynter.org
Teens Make Time for Digital and Traditional Media
Many myths about teen media usage habits are debunked in a new research report by Nielson Co., "How Teens Use Media." Findings from the report show that teens are not too busy with other mediums to be engaged with traditional media, that their preferences do not differ vastly from adults, and that traditional advertising can resonate with teens. "Teens watch less online video than most adults, but the ads are highly engaging to them," according to the executive summary of the report. The report also shows that on an average day, one in four teens reads the newspaper.
Source: AdWeek
CIRCULATION NEWS
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
Local Ordinances Can Impact Non-Subscriber Delivery
The Courier-Journal filed a lawsuit Monday against Louisville metro government over an anti-litter ordinance that the newspaper says violates constitutional protections of free speech and the press. The ordinance, targeted at the Courier-Journal's TMC products distributed Wednesday and Saturday, would affect anyone delivering fliers or other printed materials. As reported, The Courier Journal delivers some 340,000 pieces weekly that are not "opt -in" . The ordinance recently approved by the local government to be effective Aug. 25th requires that unsolicited written materials be placed in specific areas and not tossed into a front yard or driveway. Those approved places are in a "distribution box" - newspaper tube; on a front porch; attached to the front door; placed through a mail slot; placed between the exterior and interior front doors; or left personally with the owner.
Source: The Courier Journal, NAA
Newspapers Continue to Search for the TV Book Solution
During the last three years newspapers have launched a number of attempts to find labor and newsprint savings by eliminating or reducing distribution of their TV products. It is a likely target as is any product with limited appeal. The difficulty is that while only perhaps only a third of the market still has an interest in the publications, it is an intense audience of older adults who are loyal newspaper readers.The "opt-in" solution has worked for some and more recently newspapers have had some success selling the publications to subscribers as a niche product. In some cases the result is a significant revenue boost beyond the cost of distribution.
NAA has published a number of articles on the search for TV book issue, the search for savings, the lessons learned, and some success newspapers have experienced.
Source: NAA
Michael Jackson's Death Sparks Single Copy Sales and Special Editions
Friday the 26th had the potential of being a good single copy sales day in many markets even before the news broke of Michael Jackson's death. A quick survey of a few dozen papers confirmed that all had the story well displayed above the fold with the exception of a couple with strong local news stories ( see Newseums front pages for today) . The timing was good for most morning newspapers. With the story breaking by 5 pm east coast, it left enough time for page design and draw adjustments. Many reported calls from retailers as well as distributors asking for increases.
Source: NAA staff. Newseum graphics
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NAA's JULY WEBINAR EVENTS
 Measuring Your Carbon Footprint
July 15, 2009 from 2 - 3:30 p.m. (ET)
FREE to NAA Members
Do you know the carbon footprint of your organization? As environmental concerns heighten, it will be critical for newspapers to measure their Greenhouse Gas emissions and understand opportunities to reduce their footprint. Clear Carbon Consulting will provide an overview of greenhouse gas footprinting, why it's important, how to measure your footprint and strategies for carbon reduction.
Speakers:
Renee Morin, Carbon Project Manager, CCC
Katie Smith, Senior Associate, CCC
For more information or to register for this event, click here .
The Newspaper Web Site – Digital Value Proposition
July 22, 2009 from 2 - 3 p.m. (ET)
FREE to NAA Members
Newspaper Web sites are thriving marketplaces and growing faster than the Internet in general. The NAA Digital Value Proposition presentation speaks to the strengths of newspaper Web sites and provides the following five reasons why advertisers and agencies should include newspaper Web sites in their media plans: they reach engaged audiences; they are continually growing; they offer engaging products and services; they extend local reach for advertisers and they encourage action. This presentation contains updated research from various sources.
Speaker: Sheryl Oliver, Director National Advertising, NAA
For more information or to register for this event, click here.
Successful Circulation Strategies for Building the New Business Model: NAA's 2009 Circulation Facts, Figures & Logic
July 29, 2009 from 2 - 3 p.m. (ET)
FREE to NAA Members
The Webinar will address the key findings of the 2009 edition of NAA's Circulation Facts, Figures, and Logic study and examine how the evolving newspaper business model has impacted the strategy of marketing the newspaper to readers. Newspapers have shifted their resources to acquire longer retention subscriptions and reduce overall subscriber churn while improving operating efficiencies. The session will document these strategies and related trends based upon data provided by more than 400 newspapers and more than a decade of trend information on circulation sales, service, and distribution performance.
Speaker: John Murray, Vice President Audience Development, NAA
For more information or to register for this event, click here. |
Published
Jul 02 2009, 03:23 PM
by
Randy Bennett
About Randy Bennett
I’m responsible for providing strategic direction and oversight for NAA’s efforts to help newspapers grow revenue, expand their audience and leverage emerging business opportunities across media platforms.
Prior to joining NAA in 1990, I was director of online services for America Online, where I was responsible for developing information services and information provider relationships. (Yes, I know. I left AOL in 1990. So much for “vision.”)
Before that, I worked at Knight Ridder’s Viewtron service, the first graphics-based online service in the U.S. Viewtron offered a range of interactive services including news, chat, shopping, advertising, games and more. (This is back in the early 1980s, mind you.)
I graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University (go “Battling Bishops”!) with a B.A. degree in journalism and politics and government. I served internships with The Advocate (Stamford, Conn.) and The Hartford (Conn.) Courant.
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