| ASNE on the move - Newspapers selected for Readership Impact study
Published: January 26, 2000
Last Updated: March 27, 2000
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ASNE on
the move
Newspapers selected for Readership Impact study
More than 100 daily U.S. newspapers are participating in a major study
that explores and measures how newspaper content and service are linked
to readership success. The study, called Impact, is part of the five-year
industrywide Readership Initiative launched last year by ASNE, the Newspaper
Association of America and the Media Management Center at Northwestern
University, which houses the recently established Readership Institute.
Impact will examine the relationships among newspaper content and service,
the organization that produces them, and the attitudes and behaviors of
readers and non-readers in each market. The results, the first of which
are expected this fall, will provide a baseline for measuring subsequent
service and content innovations.
To make the study as representative of the newspaper industry as possible,
researchers at the Readership Institute used a stratified sampling method
that took into account competition, circulation, penetration, market size
and composition. Participating newspapers have daily average circulation
above 10,000 and are published in English at least six days a week. Excluded
from the study were specialized newspapers and newspapers with significant
national distribution.
The first phase of the Readership Initiative was launched in April 1999
and has two separate but complementary aspects:
-
Research and development work led by the Readership Institute at the Media
Management Center. As well as designing and implementing the Impact study,
the Institute is working with newspapers that are testing readership-building
innovations and developing management practices that support readership
growth.
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Repositioning of the industry through development of a marketing strategy
for newspapers to use locally. The Z Group of Atlanta, headed by marketing
leader Sergio Zyman, is crafting the strategy and working closely with
the Readership Institute.
“In the past 30 years there hasn’t been as comprehensive an attack on reversing
the slide of readership as this Initiative,” said John Lavine, director
of the Readership Institute. “One major part of that effort is Impact.
For the first time, the industry will know what is happening in similar
clusters of markets across the country and it will be able to measure the
changes in content and service that matter to readers. Impact will also
show newspaper leaders what concrete moves they can make to drive readership
in their markets.”
“The editors of these newspapers are committed to the Impact project
and the opportunity to learn how they might better serve readers,” said
N. Christian Anderson III, ASNE president. “The diversity
of the newspapers selected ensures all newspapers should benefit from this
work.” Anderson is publisher and CEO of The Orange County Register, Santa
Ana, Calif.
“Selection of these newspapers is a tremendous step forward in our efforts
to get a handle on what drives readership,” noted NAA President and CEO
John F. Sturm. “Coupled with the repositioning strategy,
the findings from Impact will help newspapers move forward with strength
and service to readers.”
The complete list of the 104 participating newspapers is attached. The
list also can be found online at http://www.naa.org/about/news/01_readerstudy.html
The Media Management Center at Northwestern University provides executive
education for senior executives in newspapers and other media in North
America and around the world. The center also does media-related research
and works on special projects with various media companies and organizations.
Newspapers participating in the Readership Institute’s Impact study:
Aberdeen (S.D.) American News; The Advocate, Baton Rouge,
La.; The Albany (Ga.) Herald; Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal; Anderson (S.C.)
Independent-Mail; Antelope Valley Press, Palmdale, Calif.; Appeal-Democrat,
Marysville, Calif.; Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D.; The Arizona Republic,
Phoenix.; Austin (Texas) American-Statesman; The Beaufort (S.C.) Gazette;
The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass.; Bluefield (W.Va.) Daily Telegraph;
Bradenton (Fla.) Herald; Bryan-College Station (Texas) Eagle; Chicago Tribune;
The Cincinnati Enquirer; Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer; Concord (N.H.)
Monitor; Connecticut Post, Bridgeport; The Corvallis (Ore.) Gazette-Times;
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.; Times-News, Cumberland, Md.;
The Daily American, Somerset, Pa.; The Daily Herald, Columbia, Tenn.; Daily
Herald, Roanoke Rapids, N.C.; The Daily Journal, Kankakee, Ill.; The Daily
News, Batavia, N.Y.; Daily News-Sun, Sun City, Ariz.; The Daily Oklahoman,
Oklahoma City; The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens, Tenn.; The Day, New London,
Conn.; The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, Calif.; The Enterprise, Brockton,
Mass.; The Evening News, Jeffersonville, Ind.; The Florida Times-Union,
Jacksonville; The Frederick (Md.) News; The Gainesville (Fla.) Sun; The
Gleaner, Henderson, Ky.; The Grand Junction (Colo.) Daily Sentinel; Great
Falls (Mont.) Tribune; The Greenville (S.C.) News; The Greeneville (Tenn.)
Sun; The Herald, Everett, Wash.; The Herald, Rock Hill, S.C.; The Herald-Mail,
Hagerstown, Md.; The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.; Houston Chronicle; Idaho
State Journal, Pocatello; The Idaho Statesman, Boise; The Indiana (Pa.)
Gazette; Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster, Pa.; The Jackson (Mich.) Citizen
Patriot; The Journal Times, Racine, Wis.; Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio;
Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette; The Kansas City (Mo.) Star; The Knoxville (Tenn.)
News-Sentinel; Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News; Log Cabin Democrat, Conway,
Ark.; Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal; The Maui News, Wailuku, Hawaii; Midland
(Mich.) Daily News; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; The Modesto (Calif.) Bee;
Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser; The Mount Pleasant (Mich.) Morning Sun; New
Haven (Conn.) Register; The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.; The News-Sun,
Waukegan, Ill.; North County Times, Escondido, Calif.; The North Platte
(Neb.) Telegraph; The Oakland Press, Pontiac, Mich.; Odessa (Texas) American;
The Orange County Register, Santa Ana, Calif.; The Palm Beach Post, West
Palm Beach, Fla.; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Port Arthur (Texas) News; The
Providence (R.I.) Journal; The Quincy (Ill.) Herald-Whig; The Register-Herald,
Beckley, W.Va.; Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch; The Roanoke (Va.) Times;
Rockford (Ill.) Register Star; San Gabriel Valley Tribune, West Covina,
Calif.; San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News; The Sanford (N.C.) Herald; Santa
Cruz (Calif.) County Sentinel; Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune; The Seattle
Times; The Spectrum, St. George, Utah; The Star Press, Muncie, Ind.; The
Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.; The State Journal-Register, Springfield Ill.;
The Sun, Baltimore; Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald Journal; Telegraph Herald, Dubuque,
Iowa; Temple (Texas) Daily Telegram; The Tennessean, Nashville; The Times
Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Valley News Dispatch, Tarentum, Pa.; The Columbian,
Vancouver, Wash.; Ventura (Calif.) County Star; The Victoria (Texas) Advocate.
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