Industry News

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 was7.2M; 3.9M free distribution and 3.3M paid.

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

January, 2008, NYPA’s database lists 812 weekly newspapers in New Yorkincluding 169 culturally specific newspapers. Total distribution is13.5M; 8.5M free distribution and 5M paid.

These numbers do not include Pennysavers or shoppers.

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

There are also 6 free distribution dailies published in NY with a combined distribution of 692,718.

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

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

No Medium Delivers The Loyal, Local Repeat Audience Delivered Bycommunity 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 adsand coupons. They shop locally for groceries - more than once per week.They buy appliances, electronics and furniture locally. They look forsales and specials at local stores. They bank locally, visit localshopping centers, and buy cell phones and sporting good locally.

Community newspaper readers and readers of their affiliated Web sitesbuy lumber and hardware locally, use local hospitals, buy auto partslocally, and more than half are educated locally. They buy from localcaterers, belong to local fitness centers, and buy hearing aids andglasses locally.

Community newspaper readers and the readers of their affiliated Websites are most interested in local news - the kind of local newsavailable ONLY in community newspapers and on their affiliated Websites. These readers are interested in local sports, local crime andsafety information, neighborhood events, local business news, andinformation about restaurants.

Community newspaper Web sites have a loyal and long-term reader base.60% of the readers of community newspaper Web sites visit theirnewspaper’s Web site 5 or more times per week. Community newspaper Websites are extending the reach of the printed product - even reachingpeople who have never subscribed to a newspaper.

Click here for the Marist Survey of New York’s Community Newspaper Readership.