• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, December 4, 2023

Despite the belief that news and magazine media use is often said to be declining, 44% of all adults, or 116 million consumers, read print and/or digital newspapers, according to a News/Media Alliance study called News and Magazine Media: Providing a Trusted Brand Safe Source For Reaching Engaged & Influential Audiences. 

What’s more, 45% of male adults engage with news media weekly, as do 43% of women. 

And magazines now reach a total of 223.6 million, with 87% of people reading at least one in the last six months. 

It’s a valuable audience for advertisers, the report states: audience members are well-educated and have a median household income of $8,000 above the national average.

What’s more, 80% of readers who see an ad in a magazine take an action as a result, 25% seek more information about the product or service, and 20% visit the advertiser’s website.  

In addition, news media reach 58% of households that own or lease a hybrid or electric car, 58% of households who own stocks, and 51% of shoppers who spent $2500 or more on internet purchases in the past year.

But consumptions varies with the demographic: while nine out of 10 consumers has read magazine media in the last six months, the numbers are higher for younger age groups.  

And, Black, Hispanic and LGBT consumers read print magazines at rates above the U.S. average.   

The Alliance has put out only limited information from the study. Without providing numbers, it claims that traditional media sources are more trusted than owned and social media.

In addition, it states that readers prefer magazines to internet, TV and radio when seeking information on  healthcare, automotive, vacation, finance and food.  

Indeed, magazines supposedly confer status on readers: readers are trusted by their communities, and can influence purchases by others. 

“From sports to politics to recipes to games to breaking news to investigative journalism, news and magazine media provide that brand safe environment where marketers can feel confident that their ads will always appear alongside trusted and credible content,” says Danielle Coffey,  president & CEO of the News/Media Alliance.