• by Larry Dobrow , May 5, 2003

Despite a slight drop in daily and Sunday circulation, newspapers in the top 50 markets continue to hold readers' attention.

That was among the conclusions reached by the Newspaper Association of America in its Spring 2003 Competitive Media Index (CMI), an analysis of market data compiled by Scarborough Research between August 2001 and September 2002. The CMI revealed that newspapers in the top 50 markets reached 79.9% of adults over the course of a given week (defined as five weekdays plus a Sunday).

The NAA also released its analysis of the Audit Bureau of Circulations Fas-Fax data for the six-month period ending March 31, 2003. The organization determined that slightly fewer than half of the 814 daily newspapers reporting numbers gained circulation during the period, with the average daily circulation hovering at 49,966,190. This represented a drop of 0.1% (from 50,022,875) over the same period last year. The trend held for the 640 Sunday newspapers as well: circulation slipped 0.1%, to 54,318,384 from 54,393,420.

Emphasizing the daily and Sunday readership data, NAA president and CEO John Sturm heralded the CMI's findings as a sign that newspapers remain one of the most desirable venues for advertisers looking to reach an audience on a consistent basis. "The story here is that nearly 80% of adults are making a conscious decision each week to pick up a newspaper - that kind of reach is hard to beat," Sturm said in a press release. "Newspapers don't happen to be 'on' when you're in the room. If you're reading a newspaper, you're engaged in it - and eight in 10 people choose to be engaged each week."

The CMI revealed that readership in the top 50 markets declined slightly from fall 2002 levels. On weekdays, 55.1% of adults read a newspaper every day, down from 55.4% six months ago. Sunday readership levels fell slightly as well, from 63.6% to 63.1%. The NAA claimed those figures represent a positive trend, especially in light of the current economic malaise.

"This daily appetite for newspapers tells advertisers that newspapers are delivering the reader base that advertisers value, particularly in a difficult economic climate," Sturm said.

The Providence, R.I./New Bedford, Mass. market boasted the highest daily (67.1%) and Sunday (76.4%) adult readership levels. Rounding out the top five daily markets were Hartford/New Haven, Conn. (66.3%), West Palm Beach, Fla. (65.7), Boston (65.6) and Buffalo (65.5). Trailing Providence on Sundays were West Palm Beach, Fla. (76.1%), Cleveland (75.6), Hartford/New Haven, Conn. (73.5) and Buffalo (73.5).