A gloomy trend in viewership of TV news may hold some silver lining for newspapers.

Sponsored by the Pew Center for the People and the Press, the May poll said people who had watched any form of TV news (network, local and news magazine) had dropped to 59 percent from 64 percent two years earlier. In contrast, "read yesterday" numbers for newspapers are edging up.

Fifty percent of Americans said they'd read a newspaper, up from 45 percent last year.

In analyzing the data, the poll attributed the drop in TV viewership chiefly to young adults. Possible reasons? More time on the Internet and cable, as well as a general distrust and disinterest in politics.

Nearly two-thirds of those under 30 years of age said they were too busy to watch network news, versus a mere one-fifth of people over 50. But another reason may be the pitch of stories.

The New York Times quoted Tabitha Soren of MTV News as complaining that "when mainstream news talks about education, it's in terms of tax breaks for baby-boomer parents who are sending their kids to college, not about kids who are graduating with all this debt and can't even find jobs." She noted that education and jobs are the top issues of concern to young adults under 30.

The silver lining for newspapers? By our nature, we can cover more angles and move age group interests than TV can possibly tackle.

The average newspaper can make space both to focus on the particular interests of the huge middle-aged baby boomer market AND offer useful advice to Generation X.

Partnerships

Civic Catalyst, the April newsletter from the Pew Center for Civic Journalism, describes a host of highly successful community projects undertaken by newspapers and broadcast partners.

• The Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star probed the reasons for a dearth of enlightened leadership in local institutions in a multipart series followed by mail and phone surveys of citizens.
• Community problem-solving sessions will follow. The Bergen (N.J.) Record focused on local traffic problems.
• The Binghamton (N.Y.) Press & Sun-Bulletin is examining what can be done about local corporate downsizing. A town meeting produced action teams of citizen volunteers, while students have been involved in computer-linked discussions and a high school task force.

For more information about the Pew Center's polls and reports, phone 202/293-3126 or fax 202/293-2569.

Newspaper sales

Why the sudden flurry of newspaper sales?

The May issue of Presstime explains that despite newsprint price hikes and never-ending pressure for profits, newspapers remain attractive businesses - especially in noncompetitive markets.

Meanwhile, tax-code changes, plus new theories about clustering and synergies with emerging media, have added some urgency to buy now.

Having focused on trimming costs in the past few years, some newspaper companies find themselves with a relatively strong balance sheet and available cash. (Presstime lists operating cash flow margins for publicly held newspaper companies at 21.1 percent in 1994, and 15.9 percent for operating income margins, a figure that's been increasing since 1991.)

Meanwhile, talk of synergies with online services have made everyone realize that local newspaper content is the essential ingredient in any online information service.

Since there now are barely 100 independent newspapers of greater than 25,000 circulation, the future will see purchases of small groups by larger groups, and sales of individual papers that don't fit into the big groups' geographic strategies.

What does all this mean for editors?

Smart owners, new and old, still put a premium on readership and penetration, which reflect editorial content that matches the needs and interests of its community.

But sometimes talented people are replaced, simply because new owners want their own people in top spots. Which is an excellent argument for building a professional network, through membership in organizations like ASNE.

Miller is editor of the Monterey (Calif.) County Herald.