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Maybe the Newspaper's Not Dead

It's no surprise to me (disappointing, yes) that more Americans are watching TV. But I was relieved today to learn that, much to the contrary of what people often say, today's young people READ!

When companies want to reach the youth market, they often think concert tours and viral marketing. There's no doubt these tactics can be excellent ways to reach young audiences; they're both high in engagement and entertainment. But it is hard for me to stomach the idea that a whole generation relies only on the Internet for their information.

According to Student Monitor, which conducts nationally syndicated market research, nearly half of all colleges students, up six percentage points from last year, read at least one national newspaper a week. Apparently, their favorite is The New York Times (smart kids), which is read by more than 1.2 million students weekly. USA Today is a close second. No other national newspaper is mentioned by more than 5 percent of the students.

Okay, so the study doesn't show if they're reading a local paper, and it only measured once-a-week-readership. But news that readership by young adults - even if it is online versus the comfort and community of a local coffee shop - is encouraging. When speculation about the death of the newspaper industry abounds, it's great for this Luddite to see a sign of hope.

--Jennifer Maxwell-Muir, jen@maxwellpr.com

posted on June 29, 2005


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