From Editor & Publisher, April 20

NAA Study: As Circ Falls, So Does Readership

By Jennifer Saba

The Newspaper Association of America released findings from its Audience Measurement Index at its annual convention in San Francisco April 19 and, like circulation, readership is also on the decline.

In the top 50 markets, eight out of 10 adults, or 77.3%, read the newspaper over the course of a week, compared with 78.6% who did in the spring of 2004.

The data come from an analysis by Scarborough Research of the top 50 markets.

This spring’s index also shows that 52.3% of adults, or 78 million, are reading the newspaper every weekday, down from 53.4% a year ago. For Sunday, 90 million adults, 60.5%, read newspapers, compared with 62% in spring 2004.

The drop in readership continues with younger adults. Among 18-34-year-olds, 68.8%, or 31 million, are reading the newspaper over the course of a week, compared with 70.5% in spring 2004.

The study found that 16 million adults read a newspaper online. Further statistics on Internet usage will be released in early May.

Below are the top five markets for adult readership of daily papers from the spring 2005. (Seventy-five DMAs were measured.)

1. Hartford/New Haven, Conn.: 64.4%
2. Providence/New Bedford, R.I.: 63.4%
3. Boston: 62.3%
4. Cleveland: 61.4%
5. New York: 61.3%

The top five markets for adult readership of Sunday papers from the spring 2005:

1. Cleveland: 73.2%
2. Providence/New Bedford, R.I.: 72.3%
3. Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota: 71.9%
4. West Palm Beach, Fla.: 71.8%
5. Hartford/New Haven, Conn.: 70.1%