Gallup poll no cause for cheer…



US: Decline in newspaper readership halts
This is not good, it’s great news for any editor or manager in the newspaper business.
It’s a Rocky Balboa-style comeback for U.S. old media, according to various upbeat interpretations of a recent poll survey.

Gallup started doing the survey in 1995. The headlines over that period?

  • Network news is the big loser – down 62% to 35%
  • Local TV news stable at 55%
  • Local papers are down 50% to 44%
  • Internet is the big gainer up from 3% to 22%

That all seems fairly reasonable. But then look at the demographics…

News Consumption by Age
Percentages indicate daily use unless noted otherwise

18-49

50+

Difference
(Net 50+)

%

%

Nightly network news

22

49

+27

Local newspapers

33

57

+24

Local TV news

46

66

+20

Cable news networks

27

42

+15

Public television news

21

36

+15

Sunday morning news programs^

13

27

+14

TV evening newsmagazines^

14

26

+12

Morning network news shows

24

33

+9

National newspapers

5

11

+6

Weekly newsmagazines^

9

15

+6

National Public Radio

17

20

+3

Radio talk shows

19

20

+1

News on the Internet

28

15

-13

^ Read/watch weekly

Doesn’t look quite so good put like that, does it? Meanwhile, here’s what Pew says the kids are up to.

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