U.S. Weekly Newspapers Embrace Web Sites

Newspaper Research Journal, Fall 2007 by Adams, Jennifer Wood

Respondents also were asked what they perceive as the benefit of having an online newspaper. The top three benefits cited include "reaching more/different or out-of-town readers" (25.6 percent), to "update news" or "break news" (21.8 percent) and to "create an additional revenue source" or "make money" (19.2 percent). [See Table 2]

One respondent noted that the editor:

... wanted to be able to make updates on breaking news as it happens, especially important stories which occur shortly after the deadline for that week's edition.54

Another said it is a "spectacular way to break news through the week and to reinforce to our readers our superiority in a competitive newspaper town."55 And a third said:

We are in the 'information 'gathering, analysis and dissemination business and we must not center ourselves around a particular technology such as print. Our customers were looking for us online.56

R2: Do structural factors, such as newspaper ownership (group or non-group), affect whether the newspaper has original content in the online edition; publishes news online before it is published in the print edition; requires users to register to collect demographic data; charges users a subscription to view the online newspaper; charges users to view specific content and offer interactive features, such as polls, surveys, message boards, blogs, online advertisement placement, online forms, etc. ?

There is a significant relationship between newspaper ownership and those papers that charge users to view specific online content (n = 96, df = 1, p

However, there is no significant difference between the type of newspaper ownership and those newspapers that have original content in the online edition (n = 97, X^sup 2^= .086, df = 1, p

R3: Are newspapers that use third-party vendor software to publish their online newspapers more likely to include interactive features on their site than are newspapers that do not use third-party vendors?

There is no relationship between those newspapers that use third-party vendor software and those that include interactive features on their site (n = 96, X^sup 2^ 1.526, df = 2, p

R4: Do newspaper managers feel the online newspaper is complementary to the printed edition, cannabilizing the subscription base or a combination of the two?

Weekly newspaper managers reported that they do not view the online newspaper as cannibalizing the newspaper's subscription base. Almost threefourths (74 percent) said they view the online newspaper as complementary to the printed newspaper.

One respondent who found the online newspaper as complementary to the print edition said:

We reach some people we would otherwise miss, e.g., college students and active military personnel who want easy and quick access.59

Another said:

We prefer to maintain a connection with our reader base, regardless of how they prefer to get their news. We want to be their source for news, and therefore have a responsibility to all of our readers, online and in print. Only approximately 30 percent of our in-paper content is carried on our Web site, so we do not feel it threatens our print product.60