Nielsen//NetRatings: Local Papers Visited By Local Audiences

  • September 22, 2005
Web users who go online for news turn more often to sites of their local papers, according to new data from Nielsen//NetRatings. The company is expected to report today that in nine of the 10 largest U.S. metropolitan markets, the largest daily newspaper also had the most popular news site.

The WashingtonPost.com had the highest local penetration of any metropolitan news site, with 30 percent of D.C. area Web users visiting WashingtonPost.com in July. Boston.com--the Web site of The Boston Globe--was visited by 28 percent of local Web users in July, while AJC.com--online home of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution--was visited by 26 percent of that area's online users.

Of the top 10 cities Nielsen//NetRatings examined, Philadelphia was the only area where the local newspaper's Web site was not the most popular. In that city, USAToday.com had the largest market share, with visits by almost 10 percent of local online residents.

-- Wendy Davis

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