Readership Increase

Readership Numbers Increase

Newspaper readership in the top 50 U.S. markets gained nearly a full percentage point in the Newspaper Association of America’s Fall 2001 Competitive Media Index, an NAA analysis of market data from Scarborough Research for the period ending March 2001.

In the top 50 markets, 54.3 percent of all adults read a newspaper yesterday, a gain over the 53.5 percent reported in the spring CMI report. Sunday readership held steady at 63.7 percent, compared with 63.8 percent in the last CMI.

"Since the survey period for this report ended in March 2001, these numbers stand alone – they do not reflect the surge in readership we’ve heard about from folks picking up newspapers to help them comprehend the events of Sept. 11 and its aftermath," said NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm.

Over five weekdays, a significant increase in readership is seen. Newspapers reach more than seven in 10 (72.9 percent) adults, and over four Sundays, newspapers reach more than three-quarters (77.4 percent) of adults in the top 50 markets.