Branding Campaign for Community Newspapers

Forget What You Read in the New York Times...Community Newspaper Readership, In-Print and Online, is Growing, and Growing, and Growing

In April 2002, NYPA’s database listed 588 weekly community newspapers, including 49 culturally specific newspapers.  Total distribution was 7.2M; 3.9M free distribution and 3.3M paid.

In January 2007, NYPA’s database listed 740 weekly community newspapers in New York, including 123 culturally specific newspapers.  Total distribution was 11.1M; 7.2M free distribution and 3.9M paid.

In January 2008, NYPA’s database listed 812 weekly newspapers in New York including 169 culturally specific newspapers.  Total distribution is 13.5M; 8.5M free distribution and 5M paid.

These numbers do not include Pennysavers or shoppers. 

Additionally, 53 paid circulation daily newspapers are published in New York, with a combined distribution of 5.3M.

There are also six free distribution dailies published in New York with a combined distribution of 692,718.

The 169 culturally specific newspapers published in New York have a combined distribution of 4.3M.

These numbers do not include the additional audience delivered by our newspapers’ affiliated Web sites.  

Read this next line out loud - and then read it to your advertising salespeople: 

NO MEDIUM DELIVERS THE LOYAL, LOCAL REPEAT AUDIENCE DELIVERED BY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS AND THEIR AFFILIATED WEB SITES!

Community newspaper readers and readers of community newspaper Web sites buy locally.

They are interested in local advertising.  They look for restaurant ads and coupons.  They shop locally for groceries - more than once per week.  They buy appliances, electronics and furniture locally.  They look for sales and specials at local stores.  They bank locally, visit local shopping centers, and buy cell phones and sporting goods locally.

Community newspaper readers and readers of their affiliated Web sites buy lumber and hardware locally, use local hospitals, buy auto parts locally, and more than half are educated locally.  They buy from local caterers, belong to local fitness centers, and buy hearing aids and glasses locally.

Community newspaper readers and the readers of their affiliated Web sites are most interested in local news - the kind of local news available ONLY in community newspapers and on their affiliated Web sites.  These readers are interested in local sports, local crime and safety information, neighborhood events, local business news, and information about restaurants.

Community newspaper Web sites have a loyal and long-term reader base.  60% of the readers of community newspaper Web sites visit their newspaper’s Web site five or more times per week.  Community newspaper Web sites are extending the reach of the printed product - even reaching people who have never subscribed to a newspaper.

(Click here for the Marist Community Newspaper Readership Survey)