Last Updated: January 12, 2000
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Local newspapers and local TV news emerge as the two dominant news media
in the United States. In order to compare individuals who were "newspaper
dominant" versus "local TV news dominant", the following typology was created.
Newspaper dominant
These are individuals who during the course of five weekdays read a
newspaper two or more times more often than they watched local TV news.
For example, they read a newspaper four times per week and watch local
TV news twice a week.
Local TV news dominant
These are individuals who watch local TV news two or more times per
week more often than they read a local paper.
Neither dominant
These individuals read local newspapers and watch local TV news equally
often or nearly equally often during the course of five weekdays.
Size of the Groups
Many individuals (49%) are neither newspaper dominant nor TV news dominant.
Among those who do rely more on one medium or the other, TV (34%) has a
wide lead over newspapers (17%).
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Newspaper dominant - 17%
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TV dominant - 34%
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Neither dominant - 49%
Profile of Media Dominance
The profile of the newspaper dominant versus TV dominant is quite different.
Newspaper dominant individuals are more likely to be
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Men
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College graduates
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Working full time
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Home owners
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White
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Not of Hispanic descent
Compared to newspaper dominant, TV dominant individuals are more likely
to be
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Women
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Somewhat less well educated
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Employed part time/not employed
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African American
-
Hispanic
Media Dominance and Ratings of Media Performance
When we examine perception of local TV and daily newspapers among those
who are local TV dominant versus newspaper dominant, the following pattern
emerges quite strongly:
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Perceptions of newspapers are relatively unaffected by media dominance.
That is individuals who are more heavily reliant on TV or newspapers share
quite similar perceptions of newspapers.
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This is not the case for local television news. Individuals who rely more
heavily on newspapers (newspaper dominant) consistently give local TV news
lower ratings, most strikingly for the experience of watching local
TV news. Newspaper dominant individuals tend to give local television news
much poorer ratings on:
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- Being engaging
- Depth/seriousness of purpose
- "Connecting" with the audience
- Being enjoyable
Aggressive, Competitive In-Paper Promotion?
The striking finding that the newspaper dominant audience is more critical
of local TV news while the reverse is not true, suggests that newspapers
should give consideration to aggressive, competitive in-paper promotion,
which emphasizes the strength of newspapers in areas such as depth/seriousness
of purpose, credibility and ease of use.
