• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, September 16, 2004

USA Today Still Leads Big 3 National Newspapers in 80 Metro Markets

A previous Research Brief included a release from The Media Audit reporting on newspaper readers in major metropolitan markets. More recent findings by The Media Audit corrects the collective totals, but the individual market numbers remain unaffected.

In July, The Media Audit reported that the Big 3 had more than 15 million readers in the 80 metro markets. Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, Inc., producer of The Media Audit, said "We excluded the New York metro market from our computations because we wanted to show the national impact of these three newspapers. But unfortunately, the NYC market found its way back into our computations. I wish we could say it was caused by a "computer glitch" but it was entirely a human error."

Collectively in the 80 markets (not including NYC) USA Today has 5.0 million readers (not 5.3). The New York Times has 3.6 million readers (not 6.1) and the Wall Street Journal has 3.2 million (not 3.7). Jordan stresses, that "these are readers, not subscribers. These are people who say they have read one or more of the last five editions of these publications."

According to The Media Audit data, the New York Times has 50,000 or more readers in 22 metro markets. The Wall Street Journal has 50,000 or more readers in 20 markets and USA Today has 50,000 or more readers in 43 markets.

- Of those who read the New York Times, 60.3 percent have household incomes of $50,000 or more, 42.5 percent have household incomes of $75,000 or more and 28.7 percent have household incomes of $100,000 or more.

- For the Wall Street Journal the comparable percentages are 64.2 percent, 48.4 percent and 36.9 percent.

- The USA Today percentages are 62.3, 42.6 and 26.4.

- The New York Times readers are 46.4 percent Democrats, 14.6 percent Republican and 31.8 percent Independent.

- The Wall Street Journal readers are 25.0 percent Democrats, 39.6 percent Republican and 28.0 percent Independent.

- USA Today readers are 30.2 percent Democrats, 32.9 percent Republican and 30.9 percent Independent.

For the complete release and more information, email RSalem@themediaaudit.com