Commentary

Local TV Web Sites Gaining on Newspaper Sites

Local TV Web Sites Gaining on Newspaper Sites

A new 85-market study, available at the Editor & Publisher/Media Week Interactive Media Conference May 23-24, comparing local TV and newspaper web sites reveals that local TV stations are gaining strength with online visitors. WRAL.com, the web site of TV station WRAL-TV in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina ranks number one in the nation with a 45.8% reach with adults 18+, or more than 474,100 people visiting the TV station's web site in a typical month, among the more than 600 newspaper and TV web sites measured in the U.S. by The Media Audit.

While some of the web sites in the report represent both TV and newspaper combined, many of the top ranked local web sites are stand-alone TV stations, rather than newspapers. The data is derived from the most recent 2006 surveys conducted in 85 U.S. markets and tracks past 30-day visitors to a TV station or daily newspaper web site.

According to the study, the first newspaper to appear in the top ten rankings is Washingtonpost.com, with a 43.4% reach with adults 18+, equivalent to more than 1.6 million unique monthly visitors. The paper's monthly reach, when combined with its online audience, reaches 81% of the Washington, D.C. market. 

Rounding out the top most visited local TV or newspaper web sites are:

  • KUSA-TV/Denver's 9news.com
  • San Antonio Express News/KENS-TV/San Antonio's MYSA.com
  • WVTM-TV/Birmingham's Nbc13.com
  • Times-Picayune/New Orleans's NOLA.com
  • Atlanta Journal Constitution/Atlanta's AJC.com
  • Cincinnati.com, the web site of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Post

Most Visited Local Newspaper Web Sites in Typical Month

Primary Media

Media Website

Website Persons

Website Rating

WRAL-TV

WRAL.COM

474,100

45.8

Washington Post

WASHINGTONPOST.COM

1,616,300

43.4

KUSA-TV

9NEWS.COM

801,100

41.2

San Antonio Express - News

MYSA.COM           

565,200

41.1

KENS-TV

MYSA.COM           

565,200

41.1

WVTM-TV

NBC13.COM

130,300

40.4

Times - Picayune

NOLA.COM

287,500

39.3

Atlanta Journal Constitution

AJC.COM

1,282,100

37.1

Cincinnati Enquirer

CINCINNATI.COM [NET]

550,900

36.1

Source: The  Media Audit, May 2007

Bob Jordan, President of International Demographics, comments, "... web site ratings for a good number of television stations are getting stronger... compared to newspaper web sites. The challenge for TV stations is whether they can maintain the competitive momentum..."

 For more information, please visit The Media Audit here.

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