Regional Newspaper Publishers Extend Reach Through Niche Publications

According to the Newspaper Society’s (NS) annual industry survey, publishers are using a variety of vehicles including lifestyle magazines, niche publications and websites to help then tap into a range of targeted groups, which may not be traditional readers of the main newspaper.

The report showed that, in 2004, regional publishers invested over £350 million in new printing presses and production technology. Overall, the NS reports that the number of full-time employees rose by 10.1% in 2004, with over 50,000 people employed full time in the regional press at the end of last year.

Advertising and sponsorship revenue rose by 6.5%, with advertising on regional press owned websites enjoying the biggest increase, up by 95.4%.

Commenting on the findings, Robert Ray, marketing director of the newspaper society said: “This is an invaluable and insightful snapshot of how the industry has developed over the course of a year. The results clearly show the level of investment from publishers in their product, staff and equipment, and the confidence that they have in their value to both readers and advertisers.”

He added: “By publishing the survey annually we will have a valuable tool for benchmarking how the industry is developing and which issues are key to publishers in the regional press industry.”

Global newspaper sales enjoyed an overall rise of 2% in circulation growth in 2004 and a 5% increase in advertising growth, according to the World Press Trends report published by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) (see Global Newspaper Sales Up 2% In 2004).

Currently over 395 million people buy a newspaper daily, compared to 374 million in 1999. Last year a 2% increase in daily newspaper circulation was reported, with a record 56 broadsheets shifting to tabloid size, resulting in 36% of the world’s newspapers being published in compact format, up by 2% in the last six months.