The Conversion recently published a terrific report on the results of a comprehensive survey of 4,200 country newspaper readers.
Newspaper readers in rural and regional Australia are five times more likely to go directly to their local newspaper website than Google or Facebook for local information, and almost 10 times as likely to go to their local news website over a council website for news and information.
Nearly two-thirds of local newspaper readers also indicate policies affecting the future of rural and regional media would influence the way they vote at the next federal election.
These are some of the key findings of a national survey of almost 4,200 Australian country newspaper readers we recently conducted as part of a project to drive greater innovation in the rural and regional media landscape.
The report is worth reading, especially if your business is in regional / rural Australia as to reflect the value association with newspapers in these locations, value documented in the evidence of this professional and thorough research. The results are especially supportive of print:
Many respondents expressed resistance to their newspaper being made available in digital format only. They offered comments such as:
There is always room for improvement, but if this newspaper went digital, I would not be interested.
And this from another:
The day it goes digital only will be the day I stop reading it.
Our survey also found that respondents overwhelmingly (86%) view a printed copy of their newspaper as an essential service for their community.
Newsagents already know the value of local independent newspapers. They see it in their shops.
I guess what’s interesting to me is the growth in this space on the back of News Corp. closing so many of their local papers last year.
We lost 4 of 7 papers in our area when Newscorp cancelled the print version and went to digital only with them. Three independent papers have since started in their place. We have just found out that Newscorp are going to resurrect one of their papers back in print form in August. It was a daily paper but will return as a weekly in direct competition with two of the new independent papers.
Barb – Big Brother at their ‘bastard’ best. Hopefully customers remember who kicked them in the guts and support the independents.
Russell,
Yes, it has been badly executed by News Corp however they proved a point and tht is “their paper” was faling for their own boittom line.
We should take note, and adjust our own priorities witthin our stores by looking at our customer base and their needs to suit our model going forward.
As for Country newspapers a lot of closures and re-opening of local newspapers is happening. ACM have closed quite a few as well. The re-opening has varied differences in Days of the week published (mainly reduced form say 5 to 3 days and often to one day per week)
The cost to the publisher in the Bush is the printing. The cost to News Corp and ACM was the distribution in numbers covering the journey to the last “mile” .
Country peole will give it 100% however we should believe in the emotion that people will boycott electronic media when print vanishes.
It will depend on price and quality for the reader as it does now.