Scarborough Research’s latest study of 25 newspaper markets indicates that newspapers are reaching out to their online audience.

The August study found that newspaper Web sites are making a dent in increasing their audience and are attracting the young and affluent.

Scarborough analyzed what it termed the newspaper audience, a measurement that adds the number of consumers who read printed newspapers to those who access the papers’ Web sites.

Integrated newspaper audience analysis of 25 local markets
(click to enlarge)

It found that newspaper Web sites are contributing significant numbers of readers who may not read the printed publication but nonetheless help contribute to a larger audience overall.

 

“With all of the negativity the newspaper industry has been subject to, we are  pleased to report that our analysis finds a positive story headline: Newspapers are  successfully extending their audience online,” said Gary Meo, senior vice president of Scarborough’s print and Internet services. “Newspaper Web sites are attracting people  that may not read the printed paper, resulting in audience growth overall.”

Some of the findings in the study include:

*A paper’s online-only audience accounts from 2 percent to 15 percent of its total integrated newspaper audience.

*Web audiences are younger than those who subscribe to printed editions. Thirty percent of adults visiting The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune Web site, for example, are between 18 and 34 years old. The paper’s print counterpart attracts 28 percent of that key market demographic.

*Web audiences are wealthier. At The Washington Post’s Web site, washingtonpost.com, 73 percent of visitors boasted annual household incomes of $75,000 or higher. In contrast, only 60 percent of The Post’s print readers report the same household income.

*Papers should aggressively market their areas of expertise online. Dailies such as the Los Angeles Times and those published by Detroit Newspaper Partnership could easily leverage their coverage of Hollywood and automotive engineering, respectively. The Washington Post, meantime, can offer its political analysis to readers worldwide.

“The combination of Washington’s market makeup and The Post’s orientation to the local audience - both in print and online - has made The Post one of the success stories in print/online integration,” said David Barie, a senior marketing researcher for The Post.

*Newspapers with the highest number of Web visitors are often located in those markets with the highest Internet penetration.

*Newspapers with the best Web revenues offer online-only ad packages combined with those that blend print placement.