Tossup on Future Print, But Relevant Today

RESEARCHBRIEF

FROM THE CENTER FOR MEDIA RESEARCH

Thursday, March 12, 2009

A new survey of American readers by The Rosen Group, about the state of current and future media, found that nearly 80% of respondents still subscribe to magazines and 83% find that daily newspapers are still relevant. 45% though, of those surveyed, said that newspapers and magazines will exist in 10 years, while 40% were uncertain.

Lori Rosen, founder and president of The Rosen Group, points out that these findings suggest that, though there is a strong shift to online news consumption and a preference for online sources for breaking news, Americans still find print publications to be important sources, especially for entertainment.

Rosen concludes that "... people are not abandoning their print editions...  there is still a certain satisfaction and ease to holding printed text in your hands, and PDAs or PCs will not replace this just yet."

Other survey findings:

• 29% of respondents say a news website is the most indispensable news source, while 18% select print newspapers and 16% cite online newspapers
• 55% say they look at a printed newspaper each day, 53% subscribe to a print newspaper, and 83% say newspapers are still relevant
• 30% say news websites are their top source for updates, and 66% say that websites are among their daily news sources
• 65% of respondents find weekly news magazines relevant
• 29% of respondents read blogs multiple times a day, 8% read them once a week, 37% read them occasionally and 37% never read them
• 60% of respondents believe the information on blogs is not credible

Though the majority of Americans go online to learn about daily breaking news, print magazines remain one of the top sources for entertainment, advice and lifestyle information.

The survey found that despite a growing preference for online news sites, print magazines are a leading entertainment source. Nearly 80% of respondents say they subscribe to magazines vs. 53% for newspapers.

For additional information, please contact the Rosen Group here, or Marketing Charts for tables.

For more information visit www.mediapost.com