In my “Newspapers just need to step up” post last month, one key point I made was:
Local newspapers are among the most heavily-visited sites in a community. (I read that somewhere, but don’t recall and can’t find where. Sorry.) Don’t rake over your advertisers because of it, but don’t lose out on the opportunity.
Along that thought, I was thrilled when CyberJournalist.net pointed me to:
“Newspaper websites are attracting readers who don’t traditionally read newspapers, resulting in an overall increase in the number of people reading newspaper content, according to new research from Scarborough Research.”
That Scarborough Research can be found here.
That just shows how newspapers are loosing out big time in a valuable resource THEY ALREADY HAVE! That is, news, features and information people seek. And, I bet the Scarborough study shows that visitors to newspaper sites are local — meaning they are seeking local and regional news. News no other organization can really supply.
I haven’t looked through the study much, but plan to. If you access it, please let me know your feedback on newspapers — either in the comments here or in your own blog.
Take care,
– Mike
