Newspaper circulation rises in 2006…

The newspaper is the oldest medium and to this day garners the largest share of advertising dollars. There are over 1,600 paid-circulation daily newspapers and several thousand community newspapers across America.

Seventy six percent of homes in the United States receive a newspaper, either at the newsstand or by home delivery. Compare that to the highest rated television show ever, M*A*S*H 1983 finale movie, which reached 46.95% of the total U.S. population.

Gavin O’Reilly, President of the World Association of Newspapers and Chief Operating Officer of Independent News & Media Ltd., said “The prognosis for newspapers is actually quite different to conventional wisdom…Those of us in the newspaper business are very confident in the future…producing relevant and compelling products for our local markets, aggregating growing audiences and showcasing them to advertisers.”

According to recent data from the WAN, in 2006, paid newspaper circulation increased 1.9 percent year-over-year to more than 510 million, and increased 8.7 percent over five years. The number of new paid circulation titles grew to more than 11,000 for the first time in history. Free daily newspaper circulation more than doubled over five years to 40.8 million copies per day. According to O’Reilly, hidden in these figures is the fact that newspapers provide more value than the combined advertising value of radio, cinema, magazines and the internet.

Reading the newspaper is a habit in many households. It has something to offer everyone (sports, entertainment, business) and is delivered to the consumer’s doorstep once, twice… up to seven times a week. A consumer can refer back to, or clip and save, an ad, and tomorrow’s edition is filled with fresh information and eagerly sought by the same, and new, consumers.

Resources:
MediaPost Research Brief 2007
Mike Brassil, Web Marketing Plan and Strategy
Fab 40 All Time Top 30 Shows on TV

This monthly newsletter is a service provided by Customized Newspaper Advertising. For more information on the newspaper advertising industry, please contact Leslie Earp, CNA Marketing & Research Manager at learp@cnaads.com.

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