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 otherwise18-49
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.