Effective Methods and Strategies for Increasing Newspaper Profitability in the Digital Era

Running Head: EFFECTIVE METHODS AND STRATEGIES 1

Effective Methods and Strategies for Increasing

Newspaper Profitability in the Digital Era

Emory E. Wilson III

Bluefield College

Spring 2013

EFFECTIVE METHODS AND STRATEGIES 2

Abstract

This research explores the past and current state of the newspaper industry, reasons for its

recent decline, its transition into the digital age, and alternative business models to

increase slowing profit and revenue numbers. As part of this research, a survey was

conducted, and the results have been divided between newspapers of different circulation

sizes to better understand each type of newspaper’s audience. The largest newspapers

tend to have audiences that are currently paying or are more likely to pay for digital

newspaper content, but the audiences of small and large regional newspapers are

currently less likely to pay for online news. Adapting content to mobile technology and

providing more in-depth, exclusive coverage is more likely to entice readers to pay for

news.


Effective Methods and Strategies for Increasing

Newspaper Profitability in the Digital Era

The newspaper industry has seen an unstable decade, with profits and revenue

falling and rising as a result of an outdated business model and a change in the ways the

public stays informed. Publications cannot survive on the sources of income they have

relied on for decades. New methods and strategies must be explored to understand what

will convince the public to open its wallet for information that it has become accustomed

to obtaining without charge.

Newspapers with the largest circulations, or average number of copies sold and

distributed during a certain time period, have found moderate recent success with the

implementation of new strategies, but it is unclear whether these methods could be

effectively applied to newspapers with smaller circulations.

It is widely believed that the key to increasing revenue for newspapers lies in the

industry’s ability to effectively use the options provided by the Internet and mobile

technology. The reaction of the readers to the forthcoming changes will determine the

direction publishers take, and ultimately, the fate of the industry itself.

Literature Review

On September 29, more than 300 people gathered in New Orleans to mourn a

death. The deceased was The Times-Picayune, at least the daily printed version of the

newspaper, marking the end of a 175-year run. Co-workers and colleagues donned in

newspaper hats made toasts and reflected on the memories they had of their days with

The Times-Picayune (Their, 2012).


The parent company of the newspaper announced in May that cutbacks were

forcing a reduction in printed publication, and The Times-Picayune would be focusing

efforts on its digital presence. The newspaper, which traces its publication back to 1837,

now only prints on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. When the announcement came, it

meant New Orleans would be the largest city in the United States without a daily edition

of a printed newspaper (McWhirter, 2012).

With the cutbacks, many Times-Picayune employees, including reporters,

columnists, photographers, editors, and staff members from advertising and circulation

departments were told they would be losing their jobs. Thirty-two percent of the overall

staff, or 201 employees, was lost as part of the downsizing (White, 2012).

The Times-Picayune is not alone in taking these drastic measures. Its subsidiaries

in the neighboring state of Alabama that served Birmingham, Mobile, and Huntsville,

have adopted similar formats (Maynard, 2012). Since March 2007, ten metropolitan daily

newspapers have limited print publications in favor of partial or no printing and a focus

on web-based publication. One of the most prominent dailies to do this was The Detroit

Free Press. In more extreme outcomes, at least 14 similar publications have closed their

doors completely in that time frame.

Part I: The Downfall of the Newspaper Industry

The industry found its low point—so far—in 2009, but there have been gains in

the years that have followed. This can be attributed to newspapers beginning to adapt to

growing technology. However, these improvements have come at a pace far slower than

the publications need (Edmonds, Guskin, Rosentiel, & Mitchell, 2012).


Over the last decade, total employment in newspaper publishing has dropped by

more than 40 percent. The industry employed more than 414,000 people in 2001, but by

2011 that number had fallen to 246,020. In April 2012, IBISWorld ranked newspaper

publishing as the fifth-fastest-dying industry in the United States, declining at an average

rate of 6.4 percent annually. The dissent is projected to continue at a rate of 4.2 percent

each year through at least 2017 (Zara, 2012).

There are several contributing factors to the weakening of the newspaper industry,

with many of them stemming from advances made in technology, and more specifically

the growth of the Internet. The economic climate in the United States has played a role,

but the recovery of the industry has not correlated with the nation’s fiscal recovery.

Circulation and subscriptions have also shown decreases in numbers in recent years, and

advertising revenue for both print and online editions of newspapers has declined

(Hirschorn, 2009).

The beginning of the decline of newspapers can be traced back to the introduction

of radio, and later television. Newspapers not only had competition in making news

available, but the broadcast outlets provided more timely news outlets. It became harder

for newspapers to compete in bringing breaking news to the public (Stephens).

The average American home has a television set turned on for an average of more

than seven hours each day. This has led to a decline in time available for reading a

newspaper, which meant the number of people getting their news from newspapers

declined proportionately (Stephens).

Evening editions of papers once kept newspapers timely with reports of news that

missed the deadline for the morning edition, along with the afternoon sports scores and


closing stock prices. However, readers gradually abandoned these papers in favor of the

evening television news programs. This coincided with the migration of the American

population from the cities to the suburbs. Big-city newspapers with their brands attached

to these metropolises lost a large portion of the sales that came from street-side

transactions (Podhoretz, 2008).

The fraction of the adult population in the United States that “read a newspaper

yesterday,” according to surveys, was at 85 percent in 1946. That number dropped to 73

percent in 1965, and fell to 55 percent in 1985. Another survey stated that less than nine

percent of Americans kept up with United States involvement in the Persian Gulf War

through newspapers as a primary source (Stephens).

Recently, circulation revenue has remained steady, but this is a result of

newspapers charging higher prices to consumers. Total paid circulation, or the average

number of copies of a newspaper distributed or sold in a given time period, were

growing, but peaked in the mid-2000s. These figures have been in rapid decline since

then. Between 1997 and 2009, paid circulation dropped by 22.5 percent. A 2010 survey

reported that 37 percent of adult Americans read a newspaper of some form “yesterday,”

down from 43 percent in 2006. Total circulation numbers have not been made available

since 2009 (Edmonds, Guskin, Rosentiel, & Mitchell, 2012).

The impact of television triggered the industry’s decline, but the growth of the

Internet in the 1990s only amplified the problem. The first significant competition of the

printed newspaper came with the web integration of Craigslist.org in 1995. The classified

advertising section of the newspaper had been its most profitable aspect. Rather than

paying for space in a newspaper, a client could post a notice for a job opening or a car for


sale at a significantly lower cost on Craigslist. The success of the site later sprung

imitators, like Monster.com (Podhoretz, 2008).

In 2012, Australian writer Ben Anderson described the industry’s downfall by

comparing it to a music artist from another generation: “To use a music metaphor, the

medium is a former superstar who once dominated the charts, but now only appeals to an

aging fan base. Past hits like Watergate can’t possibly compete with the rockstar

notoriety of WikiLeaks or the youth appeal of Twitter.”

Many newspapers began posting their content online, and most of them made the

pages available to view free of charge. The publishers relied on revenue from advertising

in an attempt to create any sort of profitability for the online content. However, the

potential prosperity from the Internet ads amounts to a fraction of what print ad space

generates.

Online advertising for newspapers is continuing to grow, but not quickly enough

to come close to replacing the losses in print. According to statistics from the Newspaper

Association of America, newspaper advertising on the web increased by $207 million

from 2010 to 2011. However, print advertising in that time span slumped by $2.1 billion.

The losses in print outgained the online growth 10 to 1. Advertising revenue overall

dropped by 7.3% in 2011. Like circulation numbers, total ad revenue had been climbing

steadily since the 1950s, but it has been rapidly declining since its peak in 2005

(Edmonds, Guskin, Rosentiel, & Mitchell, 2012).

Although online advertising has grown, it is currently facing a serious threat.

Recently, online advertisers have opted to move their dollars to bigger audiences. Search

engines like Google and aggregators like the Huffington Post provide more eyes at


wholesale, cut-rate prices (Saba). Also, newspapers are not able to provide the same

depth of specific consumer information that other outlets can provide.

Google by itself generated more advertising revenue in the first six months of

2012 than the newspaper and magazine industries combined. The growing web giant has

the selling point of not only its general search results, but also its Google News page,

which features aggregated headlines and the ledes from some online newspaper articles.

Google is not only luring advertisers away from online newspaper sites, but part of its

platform relies on those very publications that fuel its existence. Some European

newspapers have led a movement to prevent Google from using their headlines without

paying royalties, but the attempted have proven fruitless thus far (Oremus, 2012).

The industry failed to capitalize on a revenue-generating opportunity by allowing

free access to consumers online for the majority of two decades. Those consumers have

now adopted the expectation that the information provided by newspapers does not

require payment. The growth of blogs has further separated the consumer from the notion

of compensating for news and information (Mutter M. , 2010).

Part II: Ideas for Reviving the Newspaper Industry

The problem for newspaper publishers is not generating a bigger audience. In fact,

they arguably have their largest audience ever, thanks to the availability provided by the

Internet. The biggest keys for the newspaper industry if it wants to survive revolve

around adapting to new technology and a changing news consumer while maintaining

profitability. They also need to lead a shift in the public opinion of the monetary value of

news and information.


With all of the uncertainty in the industry, one thing that is sure is that the market

is shifting away from using the physical copy of the newspaper and more toward the

digital copy. In an article for Time, Michael Kinsley said, “Newspapers are on the way

out. Whether newspaper companies are on the way out too depends. Some of them are

going to find answers. And some of them are going to fritter away the years quarreling

about staff cuts.”

Anthony Young, CEO of Optimedia U.S., a media strategy and buying agency, in

a 2011 article for Advertising Age said, “A future where advertising is the lifeblood for

newspapers, I’m afraid, just isn’t sustainable. The number of advertising options

available for marketers will continue to increase, and newspapers’ share of ad spending

will continue to decline. You simply need to find a way for consumers to pay for your

online content.”

One of the concepts implemented by some newspapers is the idea of the

“paywall,” which restricts online content to those who pay a subscription fee. There is a

significant amount of risk associated with this change, because consumers have grown

accustomed to free access to the online content.

The Wall Street Journal is the most prominent example of a newspaper that was

ahead of the paywall curve. While most other publications posted content for free with a

reliance on online advertising revenue, the WSJ began charging a subscription fee almost

immediately after launching their website in 1996. A little more than one year after

starting its online subscriptions, the WSJ had reached 200,000 subscribers to its

interactive web version (Kornblum, 1998).


For the online edition, the WSJ charged a $49 annual subscription, or $29 for

those who already subscribed to the print edition. A significant majority—two thirds—of

the online subscribers were not subscribers to the print edition (Kornblum, 1998). By

2007, with most newspapers still offering content online for free, WSJ.com had reached 1

million subscribers (MacMillan, 2007).

After failed experiments with different paywall methods, The New York Times

announced in 2010 that it would adopt a “metered paywall.” In this format, readers are

allowed a certain number of article views before they are prompted by a paywall to

subscribe to continue reading stories (Ahrens, 2010). Fifteen months after it was

implemented in 2011, the Times, along with its international newspaper, had reached a

combined 509,000 digital subscribers. The online success helped push circulation

revenue ahead of the declining advertising revenue. Behind the strength of the paywall,

along with liquidation of some of its other assets, the Times’ stock prices actually saw a

sizable increase (Chozick, 2012).

Until recently, most newspapers have been reluctant to charge for online content,

citing some of the downsides outweighing the potential positives. In one of the more

extreme examples, the Times of London had lost an estimated 90 percent of its audience

in the first three months with a paywall. But online subscribers are more valuable to

advertisers than those who access content for free. They are more engaged and the

publisher can offer more targeted ads because they have more information on the

consumer (Merriman, 2010).

A benefit of the paywall is a more valuable readership, and a more loyal

customer. However, this can only be achieved with a certain type of coverage. If a


subscription-based online newspaper reports the same stories from the same angle as

those who offer content for free, readers are going to flock to the free articles and save

their money (Carr, Pay Wall Push: Why Newspapers Are Hopping Over the Picket

Fence, 2012).

The days of breaking news for newspaper have been gone for decades, and were

almost completely erased by the Internet. This is not necessarily a problem, though. In

the digital world, breaking news is perishable and only relevant for a couple minutes.

Social media has taken breaking news out of the hands of most news organizations. The

stories that will draw in paying readers are the exclusive and penetrating stories that

feature in-depth research or quality commentary (Young, 2011).

Anthony Young explained the change he expects in the 2011 article for

Advertising Age. “Once the revenue model shifts from lots of eyeballs to paying eyeballs,

the content changes. I envision fewer Paris Hilton stories and more print equivalents to

“60 Minutes” and HBO-style content. Music to most journalists’ ears.”

The Washington Post, one of the more outspoken holdouts of the paywall model

in recent years, will reportedly implement one in some form as early as summer 2013.

(Hagey, 2012). By the end of 2012, more than 360 U.S. papers will charge for digital

content, including some of the biggest publishers in the industry like Gannett, Tribune,

MediaNews, Media General, and as previously mentioned, The New York Times and The

Wall Street Journal. On average, a reader can view 11 articles before being met with a

paywall (Moos, 2012).

Matt Dodd of Nielson Business Media, a leading market media research firm, said

there is still a lot to learn about the success potential of paywalls in a 2010 article. “The


industry is still very much in an exploratory phase on paywalls and the jury is still out on

their success. We expect to see many more adaptations of the model.”

An idea similar to the online subscription has been proposed that could nicely

compliment it. Former managing editor of TIME Walter Issachson discussed the idea of

iTunes-style micropayments in a February 5, 2009 cover story for the magazine, saying,

“I don’t think subscriptions will solve everything – nor should they be the only way to

charge for content. A person who wants one day’s edition of a newspaper or is enticed to

by a link to an interesting article is rarely going to go through the cost and hassle of

signing up for a subscription under today’s clunky payment systems.”

The answer for these situations is an iTunes-style easy micropayment system—a

system of digital coins that works similarly to the commuter-favorite E-ZPass road toll

service (Issachson, 2009). David Carr brought the idea to public attention in a New York

Times article in January 2009. A one-click system for small amounts of money would

allow access to a reader that wanted to see one article or a single day’s online newspaper.

Lessons can be learned from the music industry, which at the beginning of the last

decade was collapsing under the weight of online piracy and file sharing. Apple’s Steve

Jobs played a big part in saving the music industry with the revolutionary idea of selling

individual songs for $0.99, rather than only selling an album as a whole (Carr, Let's

invent an iTunes for news, 2009).

The newspaper micropayment idea has yet to gain traction, likely because there is

not a stable digital currency system that fits the model. PayPal is not beneficial to low-

priced impulse purchases because its transaction fees are too high for the seller. Most

other established online payment services have the same problem (Issachson, 2009).


Google may soon be providing the platform for bringing micropayments into the

mainstream. The company has been toying with the idea since as far back as 2005. The

biggest keys to making this idea work are ease of use and security, and Google thinks it

may have the program to make that possible. It is called Google Wallet, and it has been

active since 2011 with a focus on making transactions through mobile devices.

In October 2012, Google launched the application of Wallet to web content. Their

website calls it “an experiment to see if users will be prepared to pay for individual web

pages if the buying process is sufficiently easy.” The successful implementation of this

concept would not be the solution to the newspaper industry’s problems, but it would be a

move in the right direction (Lee, 2012).

Mobile technology is creating new options for newspapers. When Apple released

the iPad in 2010, it opened another opportunity for the newspaper industry though

technological advancements. Tablets, like the iPad and Amazon’s Kindle, are more

portable than a desktop or laptop, but their larger screens are much easier to read than on

a smartphone. The micropayment system seems to be a perfect method for generating

revenue through tablets. Also, tablet apps for news are even more advertiser-friendly than

the web, because of their customizability.

Smartphone, e-Reader, and tablet access to newspapers through apps allows for

the newspaper industry to be more convenient and commuter-friendly. There is a heavy

amount of consumer enthusiasm for newspaper apps on smartphones and tablets.

According to research from the Newspaper Associates of America, mobile traffic for

newspaper sites and apps grew by 65% between September 2010 and September 2011.


Tablets make digital newspaper subscriptions more attractive. Many newspapers

offer a bundled subscription that includes the print, online, and mobile versions of the

publication. Twenty-seven percent of Americans say they get their news on smartphones

or tablets (Edmonds, Guskin, Rosentiel, & Mitchell, 2012).

Anthony Young made a bold and fresh suggestion to newspapers in a spring 2011

article for Advertising Age: Give away 100 million iPads, saying, “Make tablets

ubiquitous in schools, fast-food restaurants, bus stops, trains, planes, libraries – anywhere

that people have downtime to spare. Get Americans reading again. Consider it a public

service. Get a new, younger, more connected consumer who stopped picking up a

newspaper years ago to read, watch, hear, and touch your content.”

The Times of London is not quite giving away tablets, but it is coming very close.

It is currently offering a Google Nexus 7 tablet at a price of 75 percent off with the

purchase of a discounted digital subscription. According to numbers run by another

newspaper, it would actually be cheaper to stop publishing a physical copy of the

newspaper and give each of its readers a tablet. The price of paper, trucks, ink, and

printing plants is actually higher than the tablets would cost. (Worstall, 2012)

One of the biggest reasons for the success that newspapers have had with mobile

technology revolves around integration with social networking. Promoting a newspaper’s

brand through social media can be a pivotal way to keep readers following its content.

Social networks can help connect with readers, acquire paid subscribers, and generate

better stories.

For a newspaper to have a productive social media presence, it needs to operate

its social media as a two-way street. Journal Register Co. director of social media


engagement Steve Buttry, who heads the “digital first” media company’s social

promotion, said media needs to go where people are, rather than pleading for the people

to come to the media’s traditional platforms. He also promotes the idea that the social

media pages for news outlets should not just be a one-way stream of headlines and links.

The strategy of the newspaper should be to generate comments, shares, or retweets to be

most effective.

Eric Morgan of Freedom Communications said newspapers should use Facebook

and Twitter to better understand the expectations of their readers. “We just play host and

participate in it,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to listen, ask questions, learn what our

customers what from us, then adapt our newsgathering and business operations around

those insights.

Social media requires active engagement in conversation. Not taking advantage of

this aspect can cause the publishers to miss relevant opportunities to reach new

customers. Social media is effective for finding potential stories that readers actually care

about.

Buttry also said newspapers should be engaging and personable through their

social media platforms. The Chicago Tribune has even gone as far as to create a character

that personifies the newspaper, complete with his own Facebook page. The brainchild of

Daniel Honigman, Colonel Tribune is “a man about town in Chicago. He’s also a more

gentlemanly voice of the Chicago Tribune” according to the description on his Facebook

profile.

Asking questions is a way to keep readers engaged, according to Buttry. Tweeting

conversationally, asking what people think, or if they are attending an event generates a


two-way flow of information. The readers feel like they are a part of the news process or

that their opinions are heard.

Larger newspapers, like The New York Times, have created separate Twitter

accounts for different topics, like books, art, entertainment, auto, opinion, or jobs. This

can work towards the profitability of the newspaper. The separated accounts provide

more personalized information about the publication’s consumers, which provide a better

selling point for advertisers.

Social networks give the newspaper industry a chance to make up some lost

ground in the breaking news world, although an emphasis in that area is still not where

the publications should focus their efforts. When they do break new news, however,

social networks provide a platform to get the message out quickly. As more develops on a

story, including links will draw the followers to the website of the publication (Kulicke,

2011).

Not only can news be shared through social media, but videos, contests, and

special offers can be posted. Newspapers can also run ads through their posts on

Facebook while staying within the social network’s rules. An e-marketplace is created on

the page for selling merchandise or anything else (Mutter A. , 2011).

One proposed idea for saving the industry is to restore local ownership of

newspapers. Michael Kinsley discussed the idea in a 2006 issue of Time, saying,

“Newspapers were born free, and yet everywhere they are in chains, like Gannett. Fueled

by noblesse oblige and municipal price, a wealthy local won’t need to squeeze the last

dollar out of the business. Just look at the Sulzbergers of The New York Times and the

Grahams of The Washington Post.”


Online newspapers with video features have been proposed as another possible

method for revitalization. Television advertising costs are rising and attention to digital

video is growing. Online video is expected to grow 40 percent for each of the next three

years. “Wouldn’t that be a turn, newspapers stealing ad dollars from television,” Anthony

Young said in Advertising Age.

Newspapers can also find profits in areas away from news. Sales departments

have contracted out their services and knowledge to local businesses. Newspapers have

been selling merchandise for years, like prints of historic covers or photos. But now,

some newspapers have started to explore further into profitable merchandising. There are

newspapers that sell model airplanes, antique maps, and wood from the Titanic.

In England, some of the newspapers have ventured even farther away from news.

The Guardian sells CD players, plant seeds, clothing, and cottage rentals. The Telegraph

generates 25 percent of its profit from selling merchandise.

American newspapers have not drifted as far as those overseas, but the Wall Street

Journal and The New York Times have both launched wine businesses. The Times has

offered classes, and sold patent models from the 1800s through an agreement with the

U.S. Patent Model Foundation. The WSJ has started a travel business, known as

WSJtravel.

Revitalizing the newspaper industry in the United States is important to the course

of the nation. Some argue that bloggers and citizen journalists can post news through

social media, so the newspaper industry is not necessary. In an article for CNN.com, John

Barth responded, “So what? Well, as millions of people grow suspicious of government

on one side, or Wall Street on the other, the news media is about the only place left that


can consistently hold institutions accountable. You don’t have a news business without

people gathering it” (Barth, 2012).

Whether or not journalism warrants compensation is another topic that some do

not agree with. The availability of information on the web is a principle that some people

believe strongly in. Walter Issachson offered this anecdote in an article for Time:

“When I used to go fishing in the bayous of Louisiana as a boy, my friend

Thomas would sometimes steal ice from those machines outside gas stations. He had the

theory that ice should be free. We didn’t reflect much on who would make the ice if it

were free, but fortunately we grew out of that phase. Likewise, those who believe that all

content should be free should reflect on who will open bureaus in Baghdad or be able to

fly off as freelancers to report in Rwanda under such a system…

“I say this … because I love journalism. I think it is valuable and should be

valued by its consumers. Charging for content forces discipline on journalists: they must

produce things that people actually value. I suspect we will find that this necessity is

actually liberating. The need to be valued by readers – serving them first and foremost

rather than relying solely on advertising revenue – will allow the media once again to set

their compass true to what journalism should always be about. (Issachson, 2009)”

There are still a lot of questions about the future of the newspaper industry. It is

certain, however, that the format it has survived by for centuries is mortal, and its

survival is based on its ability to adapt to an ever-changing news consumer and capitalize

on the profitable possibilities of growing technologies. The medium must survive, for the

sake of preserving both an informed public and democracy itself through in-depth

reporting and thought-filled editorials that other mediums cannot provide. The role of


newspapers in the history of the United States is priceless. Not to be forgotten is

Woodward and Bernstein’s investigative work for The Washington Post, exposing the

Watergate scandal to the nation, or the Pulitzer Prize-awarded Hurricane Katrina

coverage by The Times-Picayune.

Procedures

The online survey was compiled and posted through the survey host website. The

link for the survey was dispatched on the author’s Facebook and Twitter pages,

requesting that anyone that saw the link complete it. A note was made that the survey was

not targeted toward any specific audience, and the answers provided from anyone would

be applicable. The resulting convenience sample intended to provide information from an

audience representative of people that use the Internet.

The link shared on the Facebook page read:

“Please click and complete this quick survey for my senior research

project. It is only six questions, and every one of you applies. It only takes

a couple of minutes.”

A Twitter account was created specifically for promotion of the survey link. The

username was @TreyWilsonBC. The account biography featured a short request and a

link to the survey, as well as a photo of the author to establish confidence in the validity

of the link.

The biography read, “Please take 2-3 minutes to help out a journalism student

with his senior research project by filling out this survey,” followed by the actual link.


Two tweets were posted from the account, one repeating the request made in the

biography. The second tweet read, “Thank you to everyone that has completed this

survey. Your time is very appreciated.”

To gain attention from random Twitter users, the account “followed” dozens of

accounts that the host social network suggested. As with the posted link on Facebook,

this was to draw a convenience sample of an audience of internet users.

Multiple tweets were sent to the @TreyWilsonBC from users that said they took

the survey.


The account was eventually suspended by Twitter for violations of its Terms of

Use, likely for breaching its policy on online spamming.

An email was also sent from the author’s professor and overseer of this research

study to the communications students of Bluefield College, requesting that they complete

the survey.

Limitations of this research included time and budget restraints. It should be noted

that although steps were taken to bring the broadest representation as possible of the

potential future newspaper audience under the conditions of this research, the participants

in this survey are not a representation of a true random sample.

Between 12 a.m. on Friday, March 22, 2013, and 12 a.m. on Monday, March 23,

2013, 97 respondents completed the online survey, representing 17 states. There was also

one response from the Commonwealth of Australia. Most of the respondents were

between 18-34 years old.


Results

Part I: All Responses

Before analyzing the results in individual categories, the responses were analyzed

in one large group. This was done to gain an understanding of trends in the overall

newspaper audience. There were 97 total responses, with most of the participants ranging

from 18 to 34 years old.

The most popular primary news source listed by the participants was television,

which was chosen by 76.92 percent of the 78 respondents that answered the question. The

different online choices were popular, including social media (65.38 percent), online

newspapers (62.92 percent), and news aggregate websites (46.15 percent). Nearly half of

the respondents (47.44 percent) said printed newspapers were a primary source of their

news.


Figure 1a: All Responses - What is your primary news source?

The popularity of web- or app-based accessibility was evident with the question

regarding newspaper-reading habits. Thirty-five percent of the respondents said they read

newspaper content online through a computer, smartphone, or a tablet two or more days

each week, while 20.62 percent they use those digital platforms and also read a printed

newspaper. Less than 20 percent of the respondents said they only read a printed

newspaper, and only 8.25 percent had a daily subscription to a print newspaper.

Even with the popularity of the online newspapers, only 6.19 of the respondents

said they currently pay for access. The majority of respondents said they would not be at


all likely to pay for digital news. Only 8.25 percent said they would be either very likely

or completely likely to pay a fee.

Figure 1b: All Reposnses – Do you currently pay a subscription fee for digital newspaper

content

If confronted with a paywall, only 2.06 percent of the respondents said they

would pay the requested fee to continue reading the article. Nearly two-thirds said they

would look for the story somewhere else that did not charge a fee, and 27.84 percent said

they would not attempt to read any further at all.

If they had to pay, most (40.91 percent) preferred to pay for a print subscription

that included unlimited online access. The micropayment idea was chosen by 30.68


percent. Smartphone and tablet apps were the most popular (86.42 percent) of the options

listed to entice readers to pay for digital content. Video content to accompany articles

was also a popular choice (50.62 percent).

In order to find possible correlations and trends with the audience of different

sized publications, the results were separated into five separate groups, based on the

newspaper(s) listed by the participant in the survey. Some participants may be

represented in more than one category.

The categories included: Major newspapers, large regional newspapers, small

regional newspapers, weekly newspapers, and respondents that did not list a newspaper

or left the box blank.

Part II: Major Newspapers

For the purpose of this research, the category “Major Newspapers” included

publications that had a weekday circulation of 500,000 or more. The newspapers that

were listed in this category included The New York Times, USA Today, The New York

Times, The Daily News (N.Y.), The New York Post, The San Jose Mercury News, and The

Washington Post. Thirteen total respondents fell into this category.

Digital outlets were very popular with readers of major newspapers. One hundred

percent said they read online newspapers, and 90.91 percent said they used social media

as a medium for staying current on news. Both of those mediums, as well as news

aggregates were vastly more popular with this category than any other.


The major newspapers category was the only one that contained a high rate of

respondents listing blogs as a relevant source for news. Sixty percent of the respondents

between 18-34 years old selected blogs in this section of the survey.

Figure 2a: Major Newspaper Readers – Primary news sources

Most of the major newspaper audience said they only read the newspaper online

regularly, while 38.46 percent said they read both a print newspaper and online version.

Less than 16 percent said they only read a printed edition. Sixty-two percent of major

newspaper respondents between 18 and 24 years old read a newspaper online two or

more days per week.

The major newspapers had the most frequent occurrence of respondents that

currently pay for a digital subscription, with 38.46 percent of the audience of the most

widely circulated newspapers holding a current subscription. Sixty percent of current


digital subscribers ranged between 18 and 24 years old. There were no respondents 45 or

older than currently hold a digital subscription.

None of the major newspaper respondents completely ruled out the idea of paying

for digital newspaper content, although nearly half (46.15 percent) said they would only

be “slightly likely” to pay. It was the only grouping that was not completely opposed to

paying for their news online. The largest newspapers had the highest rate of any category

of respondents that would be “completely likely” to pay for digital content, with 30.77

percent choosing the option.

The major newspapers also had the most respondents (18.18 percent) that said

they would likely pay a fee if a paywall were encountered, although the majority (61.54

percent) still said they would look elsewhere for an outlet that offered the content for

free. Only 7.69 percent said they would not read any further at all.


Figure 2b: Major Newspapers – How readers of major newspapers would respond if a

paywall was encountered

Nearly half (46.15 percent) said if they had to pay, they would prefer a print

subscription that included unlimited digital access. The pay-per-article method was less

popular with major newspaper readers than those in other categories (23.08 percent).

Major newspaper readers were more likely to pay for high-quality opinion or

editorial content (38.46 percent) than respondents in any other categories, although the

integration of smartphone or tablet apps was still the most popular feature (90.91

percent). This audience also found the reader response area as a more valuable method

than those in other categories, with 27.27 percent saying it would further entice them to

pay for digital content.


Figure 2c: Major Newspapers – Features that would entice audience to pay for news

Part III: Large Regional Newspapers

For the purpose of this survey, newspapers with a weekday circulation between

75,000 and 499,999 we included in the Large Regional Newspapers category. There were

twenty-five newspapers represented by respondents in this category, including Dallas

Morning News, Plain Dealer (Ohio), Seattle Times, Virginian-Pilot, Baltimore Sun, St.

Louis Post-Dispatch, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Miami Enquirer, Daily Press (Va.), The

Washington Times, The Roanoke Times, and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Forty-six

respondents were included in this category.

Television was the most popular choice of primary news mediums from large

regional newspaper respondents. Two-thirds said they got their news from newspapers in

an online format. Printed newspapers were more popular with large regional newspaper

respondents than with any of the other two daily newspaper categories.

Only 44.44 percent of respondents 35 or older said they received their news

through social media, compared to 69.70 percent of respondents under the age of 35.


Figure 3a: Large Regional Newspapers – Primary news sources

Twenty-two percent said they either subscribed to or purchased a printed

newspaper, but did not read news online, while 39.13 percent said they only read news

online. Nearly 35 percent of the participants said they read both a printed newspaper and

newspaper content online. Of large regional newspaper readers, 6.52 percent said they

currently subscribe to digital newspaper content, the second highest of any category in

this research.

The majority of the large regional newspaper audience said they would definitely

not pay for their news online, while only 10.87 percent said they would be “completely

likely” to pay.

No large regional newspaper respondents said they would pay to continue reading

if they encountered a paywall. Sixty-three percent said they would look elsewhere to find


the same news available for free, while 26.26 percent said they would not continue

reading the story at all.

Figure 3b: Large Regional Newspapers - How respondents would respond if a paywall

was encountered

The large regional newspaper audience was less interested in high-quality opinion

and editorial content than the other two categories of daily newspapers, with only 25.64

percent saying it would help entice them to pay for online content.


Figure 3c: Large Regional Newspapers – Features that would entice audience to pay for

news

Part IV: Small regional newspapers

For the purpose of this research, small regional newspapers included publications

that had a weekday circulation of 74,999 or less. There were 13 newspapers represented

in this category, including Bluefield Daily Telegraph, The Press of Atlantic City, Journal

Star (Ill.), Register-Herald (W.Va.), Sun Journal (N.C.), and Elizabethton Star (Tenn.).

Twenty-seven respondents were included in this category.

Fifty percent of the small regional newspaper respondents said the printed

newspaper was one of their primary sources for news. Social media was less popular in

this set than with the other two daily newspaper categories, with only 59.09 percent

listing it as a primary news source. Television was the most popular medium.


Figure 4a: Small Regional Newspapers – Primary News Sources

Nearly 25 percent, more than any other daily newspaper category, said they

purchase a printed edition of a newspaper and did not read news online. There were less

respondents that read both online and printed newspapers than the other two daily

categories. While print numbers were higher, fewer respondents that read news online.

Less than 26 percent said they read news online two or more days per week, and 22.22

percent said they read news online one day per week or less. This was the only daily

category that had zero respondents saying they did not currently pay for an online

newspaper subscription.

The small regional newspaper audience was the only one that had zero

respondents saying they would be completely likely to pay for online news. Nearly half


said they would definitely not pay for digital content, and 37.04 percent said they would

be slightly likely to pay.

Figure 4b: Small Regional Newspapers – Likelihood of respondent to pay for online

newspaper content

If a paywall was encountered, the small regional newspaper audience was more

likely to look elsewhere for the same content available for free than any of the other daily

newspaper categories. No respondents said they would pay a fee to continue reading.


Figure 4c: Small Regional Newspapers - Features that would entice audience to pay for

news

Even though the respondents in this category were the least active with online

news, they were more in favor of online-only subscriptions than the other two daily

categories (36 percent), and were much less likely to pay for a print subscription that

included online access (32 percent).

While smartphone and tablet apps were the most popular choice to entice paying

for an online subscription by small regional newspaper readers (81.82 percent), video

content that accompanied stories was more popular in this category than in the other two

daily newspaper groups.


Part V: Weekly newspapers

For the purpose of this research, “weekly newspapers” included publications that

printed two or less times per week. Five newspapers were represented in this category,

including Princeton Times (W.Va.), Wytheville Enterprise (Va.), Smyth County News and

Messenger (Va.), Riverfront Times (Mo.), and Union County Weekly (N.C). Six

respondents are included in this category.

Fifty percent of the participants said they read news online and in a printed

newspaper two or more times per week, and 33.33 percent said they read news

exclusively online two or more days per week. No weekly newspaper readers currently

hold an online subscription, and fifty percent said they were “not at all likely” to ever pay

for digital newspaper content.

If a paywall was encountered, 66.67 percent of weekly newspaper respondents

said they would look for coverage of the content elsewhere. The remaining 33.33 percent

said they would not attempt to read any further at all. Fifty percent said if they had to pay,

they would prefer an online subscription that included digital access. Each of the

respondents (100 percent) said the integration of smartphone or tablet apps would

increase the likelihood of them paying for a digital subscription.

Part VI: No newspaper listed

Of the total survey respondents, 16.49 percent did not include a newspaper. These

respondents either left the response section blank or put “none.”

Although no primary newspaper source was listed, 56.25 percent of the

respondents in this category said they read newspaper content online through a

smartphone, tablet, or computer two or more days per week, and 18.75 percent said they


did not read newspaper content at all. More than half (56.25 percent) said they were “not

at all likely” to pay a subscription fee for digital newspaper content.

Respondents without a primary newspaper were more likely than participants in

any other category to not attempt to continue reading at all if a paywall was encountered.

The remaining 62.5 percent said they would look elsewhere.

Respondents in this category were less likely to be persuaded to pay for digital

content by high-quality opinion or editorial content than any of the daily newspaper

respondents. However, video content accompanying stories was more a more popular

choice than any other category, with 64.29 percent saying it would help entice them to

pay a fee.

Figure 6a: Respondents with no primary newspaper - Features that would entice

audience to pay for news

Discussion and Conclusions

As stated in the literature review, the newspaper industry’s problem is not

generating an audience. The expansion of digital media has provided the chance for a

larger audience than ever before. The survey results supported this claim.


This was especially true with the major newspapers, where 100 percent of the

respondents said they consider online newspapers a primary resource for their news, and

a considerably higher percentage of readers followed news regularly through digital

platforms than in the other categories.

More people in the major newspaper audience are currently paying for online

content, likely because they are more engaged with current events and the news they are

reading, so they may be more likely to find value in paying for subscriptions. This is

evident because when confronted with a paywall, they are much less likely to abandon

reading stories about a certain topic. The problem for the newspaper industry is that many

readers are still looking for the content for free elsewhere.

“Places that throw up a paywall, I’m outta there,” one survey participant said. “I

have too many sources competing for my attention.”

In order to convince readers to pay for content, the newspaper has to make itself

stand out from other options, similar to the Anthony Young proposal examined in the

literature review. One Washington Post reader that does not currently have a paid online

subscription said he would pay if “the content is so good I absolutely couldn’t find it

elsewhere at as high of a quality. Then I would pay, given it’s the content I want or

need.”

For major newspapers, uniquely covering the national issues that readers across

the country can value is a key, and it will generate a positive reputation with its audience.

Readers of major newspapers that do decide to give in and pay a subscription fee often

value the exclusive, high-quality writing that a specific, well-renowned newspaper offers.

One respondent in the 18-to-24 age range said being blocked by a paywall “led to me


subscribing to the Wall Street Journal. All their headlines were things I wanted to read or

they had similar articles to lesser-known sites that couldn’t be as trust or provide as good

of an insight. Thus, I got the subscription and have rolled with it since.”

That same user had previously subscribed to the print edition of the publication,

but eventually opted for the online-only route, saying he “used to get the print as well, but

it was pointless as most of the stories I would read online in the morning before even

getting the print.” Online editions of newspapers provide a more timely option that users

want in this up-to-the-second news world.

Many of the trends that applied to the major newspapers did not correlate with the

regional publications. The large and small regional newspapers do not have nearly as

many readers with the same willingness to pay for the digital editions. As far as paywalls

are concerned, the metered model may provide the best solution to this problem. This

gives a reader a chance to become familiar with the coverage the newspaper provides by

reading the initial free articles. When the free views have expired, the newspaper has to

have built its reputation with the reader a reliable and relevant source, creating a sense of

brand loyalty.

In order for this method to be successful with the small and large regional

publications, the newspaper must provide exclusive content that competitors in other

mediums cannot match. The regional newspapers need to heavily shift their focus to local

issues, and cover them with the depth and specificity that the local television news do not

have the capacity to attain.

However, small local newspaper respondents were significantly less likely to pay

for an online subscription based on high-quality opinion and editorial content. If these


newspapers can show the ability to provide exclusive opinion content on local issues that

can strike the interest of their readers, the value of that style of content may increase in

the minds of their readers.

Because digital versions of newspapers do not have the space constraints of a

printed edition, they can give even deeper coverage online. One survey respondent said

that he would be more enticed to pay for digital content if the publication provided

“deeper analysis of events that, for lack of space, can’t fit in a print edition.”

Small regional newspaper readers were significantly more likely to look

elsewhere for coverage of a story if a paywall was encountered, but most of these markets

do not have multiple competing newspapers. With less direct competition, these

newspapers do not have to worry about losing readers to other publications. Instead, they

have to target stories to keep readers engaged with their product.

Social media can be a powerful tool for the regional newspapers to reach a better

understand of the stories and issues that their readers find relevant. Both the small and

large regional response categories had a similar percentage of participants that said they

got their news through both online newspapers and social media. For large regional

newspapers, 66.67 percent listed online newspapers and 69.23 percent chose social media

as primary news sources. For small regional newspapers, 59.09 percent said online

newspapers were a primary news source, and 59.09 percent selected social media. Given

this data, it is likely that most people that use social media for news also read online

newspaper content.

Publications can use their social media outlets to share links to their site of

breaking news or relevant news stories (Kulicke, 2011) (Mutter A. , 2011). Facebook


provides free powerful insights about the reach of a particular post, or how many people

see it. It also provides information on how many engaged users interact with a post by

reporting how many people click on a post. This can detail to a newspaper how much

interest a story generates with its social media audience.

As mentioned in the literature review, Buttry said newspaper’s use of social

media should not be one-way communication. The comment section on the Facebook

page can also provide psychographic information of a newspaper’s audience. As users

post their comments and opinions, newspapers can better understand what it is that their

readers want to know. Also, providing opportunities for user-generated content may help

engage users, such as a way for readers to submit their photos to accompany a story.

With the availability of new technology, newspapers have the opportunity to

integrate other mediums to the coverage they provide. The literature review mentions

comments from Anthony Young about the forecasted growth of online video. Video was

most commonly chosen as a feature that might entice a reader to pay for online content

among respondents that read small regional newspapers. Videos of interviews or events

can be included on article pages to add an extra element to coverage of local stories. This

can also be another area to implement user-generated content.

An overwhelming majority of respondents of all newspaper sizes said that they

would be more enticed to pay for a digital subscription by the implementation of

smartphone and tablet apps that wirelessly deliver a digital version of each day’s

newspaper and provide instant access to breaking and developing news stories. Apps

provide the timeliest outlet for readers to access breaking and developing news stories.

Stories can be updated and shared immediately to an audience that is on the move.


The digital version of the traditional newspaper can be delivered to the readers’

mobile device through the app, and those stories can be updated throughout the day.

Alerts can be sent when a major story breaks. The app’s alerts can also be customized to

tailor to the topics that most interest the user.

Subscriptions and advertising are not the only way newspapers can generate

revenue from its readers. Walter Issachson proposed the idea of micropayments, which is

referenced in the literature review. While a stable micropayment system has not yet been

constructed for newspapers online, about one-third of the total respondents said the

system would further entice them to pay for online newspaper content. If publishers or

web developers can devise a method for transferring small amounts of money at a time,

newspaper readers might latch onto the idea of paying for a single story or one day’s

newspaper online rather than paying for a full subscription.

Many advertisers and readers have flocked to news aggregators like Google News

or the Huffington Post (Saba). These were much more popular with the readers of the

major newspapers, who likely look for a wider range of coverage on certain topics. Even

though these sites were harmful to newspaper’s online profitability, the respondents most

likely to use them were also the most likely to pay for digital subscriptions.

There were not many consistent differences in the responses coming from

different age ranges. This could likely be attributed to the technological awareness of the

older participants in the survey, seeing as the survey was conducted through the Internet

and promoted through social media.

As newspapers begin to implement some of these strategies over the coming

months and years, the mindset of the audiences will likely change. As regional


newspapers begin to implement paywalls at a more frequent rate throughout 2013, it will

be interesting to see if readers become more willing to pay for digital news.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the survey results is the difference in the

willingness of the audience of major newspapers and the readers of small and large

regional newspapers to pay for online access the publications they read. The biggest

reason for the separation is how much more engaged with news those who read national

newspapers are. A closer look at the specific types content the audiences wanted to read,

and how it affects their willingness to pay for their news online could be especially

revealing in future research. Also, I would like to have been able to draw a true random

sample that would be a more accurate representation of a newspaper audience, rather than

the convenience sample that was used in this study.


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Appendix

A. Survey

My name is Trey Wilson and I am conducting this survey for research involved with the

completion of my undergraduate senior research project at Bluefield College. The

information that you provide will remain anonymous, confidential, and will go a long

way in helping to understand some possible trends in the audience of the newspaper

industry. Your time is very appreciated.

Even if you do not regularly read a newspaper or follow news at all, your responses are

still very valuable. There are boxes for your comments throughout the survey. Feel free to

add any further information as you choose in these spaces.

1. City/Town:

State:

ZIP:

2. What is your age?

- 18 to 24

- 25 to 34

- 35 to 44

- 45 to 54

- 55 to 64

- 65 to 74

- 75 or older


3. Your primary newspaper(s) (if applicable):

4. What are your primary sources for news? (Check all that apply)

- Television

- Radio

- Printed newspapers

- Online newspapers

- Magazines

- Blogs

- News aggregate websites (Huffington Post, Drudge Report, Google News, etc.)

- Social Media

- Other (Specify in comments)

5. Which of the following best describes your newspaper reading habits?

- I subscribe to and regularly read a print edition of a newspaper daily

- I regularly purchase and read a print edition of a newspaper two or more days each

week

- I read a newspaper, but one day per week or less

- I read newspaper content online through a computer, smartphone, or tablet two or more

days per week

- I read newspaper content online through a computer, smartphone, or tablet one day per

week or less


- I read a print edition of a newspaper AND online newspaper content two or more days

each week

- I read a print edition of a newspaper AND online newspaper content one day or less per

week

- I do not read newspaper content

6. If you read online newspaper content, do you currently pay a subscription fee for

digital content?

- Yes

- No

- I do not read online newspaper content

7. If you do NOT currently pay for online newspaper content, how likely would you be to

pay for newspaper content online through your computer, smartphone, or tablet?

(Note: If you DO currently subscribe to digital newspaper content, please select

“Completely likely.”)

- Not at all likely

- Slightly likely

- Moderately likely

- Very likely

- Completely likely


8. If you were trying to read newspaper content online, but a window popped up and

blocked the article, requiring that you pay a subscription fee* to continue reading, which

would you most likely do?

*Note: Digital subscriptions range between $2/month-$22/month, depending on the size

and type of the publication.

- Pay the subscription fee.

- Look for coverage from another online news source that did not charge a fee.

- (If it is available) Wait for the print version in the next day’s newspaper.

- Not attempt to read further at all.

9. If you were to pay for online newspaper content, which of the following methods of

payment would you prefer?

- Pay subscription fee for print edition that includes unlimited online access.

- Pay subscription fee for print edition and an additional small fee for unlimited online

access.

- Pay for an online-only subscription

- Pay a small fee ($0.05-$0.25) for access to individual stories from one or more outlets,

similar to buying a single song from iTunes or Amazon rather than a complete album.

10. Which of the following features would make you more likely to pay for digital

content? (Check all that apply)

Feel free to add any of your own ideas in the comments box.


- Smartphone or tablet apps that deliver a digital version of a newspaper each day and

provide instant access to breaking stories.

- Opinion/editorial content.

- Video content accompanying articles.

- Instant reader response feedback sections.

B. Primary daily newspapers named by participants in survey

Newspaper Approx. circulation (Weekdays/Daily)

Readers in survey

Major Newspapers Wall Street Journal 2,092,523 2 USA Today 1,817,446 4 The New York Times 1,586,757 10 Daily News (N.Y.) 579,636 2 New York Post 555,327 2 San Jose Mercury News 527,568 1 Washington Post 507,615 7 Large Regional Newspapers Dallas Morning News 405,349 1 Houston Chronicle 325,814 1 The Plain Dealer (Ohio) 271,180 2 The Seattle Times 251,697 1 Orlando Sentinel 227,593 1 Tampa Tribune 226,990 1 Sun Sentinel (Fla.) 226,591 1 Boston Globe 225,482 1 San Fransisco Chronicle 223,549 1 Milwaukee Journal Sentinal 217,755 1 Columbus Dispatch 199,524 1 Baltimore Sun 195,561 1 Buffalo News 181,540 1 St. Louis Post-Dispatch 178,801 1 Contra Costa Times (Calif.) 168,362 1 Miami Herald 164,332 1 Cincinnati Enquirer 159,610 1 The Virginian-Pilot 156,968 13 Charlotte Observer 155,497 2 Austin American-Statesman 125,305 1 Richmond Times-Dispatch 104,666 4 The Roanoke Times 97,000 5 Washington Times 83,000 2 Daily Press (Va.) 83,000 3


Wisconsin State Journal 83,000 1 Small Regional Newspapers The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.) 70,000 1 Journal Star (Ill.) 63,024 1 Star-News (N.C.) 41,300 1 Bristol Herald-Courier 39,000 1 The News & Advance (Va.) 35,600 1 The Herald-Mail (Md.) 31,957 1 Register-Herald (W.Va.) 28,670 1 The News Leader (Va.) 18,339 1 Bluefield Daily Telegraph 17,338 16 The Journal (W.Va.) 15,809 1 Sun Journal (N.C.) 14,000 1 Elizabethton Star (Tenn.) n/a 1

C. Complete Survey Results: States Represented (Frequency) Virginia (47) West Virginia (15) North Carolina (6) Florida (5) Ohio (4) California (3) New York (3) Texas (3) Wisconsin (2) Georgia (1) Illinois (1) Massachusetts (1) Mississippi (1) Missouri (1) New Jersey (1) Tennessee (1) Washington (1) Australia (1)


D. Complete Survey Results: All Responses


E: Complete Survey Results: Major Newspaper Readers


E: Complete Survey Results: Large Regional Newspaper Readers


F: Complete Survey Results: Small Regional Newspaper Readers


G. Complete Survey Results: Weekly Newspaper Readers


H. Complete Survey Results: Respondents that did not list a newspaper

Effective Methods and Strategies for Increasing Newspaper Profitability in the Digital Era

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