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This is to certify that the

thesis entitled

READERSHIP
OF
THE MONROE EVENING NEWS
MONROE, MICHIGAN
presented by

Carol Ann Schlagheck

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

Master of Artaegreein Journalism

 

 

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MSU Is An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution
swans-DJ

READERSHIP
OF
THE MONROE EVENING NEWS
MONROE, MICHIGAN

By
Carol Ann Schlagheck

A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

School of Journalism

1992

ABSTRACT

READERSHIP
OF
THE MONROE EVENING NEWS
MONROE, MICHIGAN
By

Carol Ann Schlagheck

In the last decade, The Monroe Evening News has, by most
standards, become a dramatically better daily newspaper. However,
the newspaper has fallen short by the standard that may be most
significant -- circulation. Peaking at 27,364 in the early 19805,
circulation dropped to about 22,900 by late 1990. This thesis
determines what types of news Evening News readers are interested
in and defines the " typical" reader.

Four hundred Evening News subscribers were interviewed by
telephone. The survey found that they get most of their local and
state news from this newspaper, but their information about national
and international events primarily from television. Evening News
readers are interested in news about local units of government,
police and crime. They also like entertainment stories. They are
interested in consumer and how-to stories, but are not very
interested in Obtaining news electronically, in part because few have

home computers.

DEDICATION

This project is dedicated to the memory of my grandfather,
Howard C. Schlagheck (May 2, 1908 - May 24, 1992), a former Toledo
Blade printer who always was interested in my newspaper work.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As this project and my time at Michigan State University draw
to a close, I would like to extend my gratitude to the School of
Journalism for offering a master's degree program at the Birmingham
campus. Without this program, which unfortunately has had to end,
I know I never would have attended graduate school. I want to
thank my committee members, Stephen lacy, Ph.D., Lucinda
Davenport, Ph.D., and John Molloy, Ph.D., for their great assistance.
Dr. lacy was very generous with his time and expertise, even over
the summer. And a big hug goes to Dee Dee Johnson, the School Of
Journalism graduate secretary who has held my hand long-distance
since I first called to inquire about this program almost three years
ago. She is part secretary, part friend and part saint - a tremendous
asset to the department.

Thanks, too, to the people at The Monroe Evening News, where
I have worked since 1978. Steve Gray, Deb Saul, Lee Hatfield and
others offered information, suggestions and moral support that was
greatly appreciated.

The biggest thanks goes to my family. My mother, Yvonne
Schlagheck, and sister, Susan Jones, helped immensely with the
phone survey. My husband (and Evgn_n' g News co-worker) , Charles
Slat, went far beyond the call of duty in helping me master a new
computer and keep things running at home. I absolutely could not
have done this without him. But, most of all, I want to thank and
apologize to our 3-year-old son, Christopher, who shared me with my
computer all summer.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIST OF TABLES -- -- - _- - - -- - - ..... .vi
CHAPTER 1 — INTRODUCTION - - - -- - ....... 1
CHAPTER 2 - REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................... 6
CHAPTER 3 - METHOD - -- -v - - - - -- 26
CHAPTER 4 - RESULTS ....... -- - - 31
CHAPTER 5 - CONCLUSIONS ....... -- 58
CHAPTER 6 - RECOMMENDATIONS- - - ...... - -- - 65
APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1 - SURVEY .............................................................................. 75

APPENDIX 2 — DEFINITIONS OF SURVEY TERMS ............................ 82
BIBLIOGRAPHY - - ----84

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. — Primary sources of news by type ............................................... 3 2

Table 2. -- Subscribers' interest in local government, expressed on a
scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high. .................................... 35

Table 3 . -- Subscribers' demand for coverage of local government
news, expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same coverage
when compared with that currently provided ............................................ 3 7

Table 4. -- Subscribers' interest in police and court news, expressed
onascaleofltoS,with1beinglowand5beinghigh .......................... 38

Table 5. -- Subscribers' interest in police and court news, expressed
on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high, by sex ........... 39

Table 6. -- Subscribers' interest in police and court news, expressed
on a scale of 1 to S, with 1 being low and 5 being high, by age ........... 39

Table 7. -- Subscribers' demand for coverage Of police and court
news, expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same coverage
when compared with that currently provided ............................................ 40

Table 8. -- Subscribers' interest in entertainment stories, expressed
onascaleofltoS,withlbeinglowandSbeinghigh ......................... 41

Table 9. -— Subscribers' interest in entertainment news, expressed on
ascale Of1to S,with1being lowandSbeing high, bysex ................. 42

vi

Table 10. -- Subscribers' demand for coverage of entertainment
news, expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same coverage
than currentlyis provided- - - - --- -- - -....43

 

Table 1 1 . - Subscribers' interest in consumer and how-to stories,
expressed on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high ..... 44

Table 12. -- Subscribers' demand for coverage of consumer and how-
to stories, expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same
coverage when compared to what currently is provided ....................... 44

Table 13. -- Subscribers' likelihood Of acquiring information by
alternative means, as expressed by type Of information ........................ 45

Table 14. -- Subscribers' preferred electronic media for receiving
news .......................... - - --46

 

Table 15 . -- Percentage of subscribers who use home computers,

 

 

sorted by age - 47
Table 16. — Sex of survey respondents .......................................................... 48
Table 1 7. - Age of survey respondents ......................................................... 49
Table 18. -- Years survey respondents have lived in the community

covered by The Evmg’ News. ........................................................................... 49
Table 19. -- Education of survey respondents, listed as highest level

of schooling completed - - - -- .50
Table 20. — Household income of survey respondents ........................... 50

Table 2 1 . -- Amount of time subscribers spend reading The Evm’ g
News each weekday, time expressed in intervals of minutes ............... 5 1

Table 22. -- Amount of time subscribers spend reading The Evening
News each Sunday, time expressed in intervals Of minutes .................. 5 1

Table 23. -- Subscribers' interest in types of news stories, by

category, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high.
Also, average rating achieved by each category of news ........................ 5 5

vii

Table 24. - Subscribers' demand for coverage of news, sorted by
type, expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same coverage as
compared with what is currently provided. ................................................. 56

Table 25. -- Rankings for news stories, by type, when subscribers'
interest and subscribers' demand are combined. ....................................... 5 7

viii

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Four years ago, in 1988, the future of The Monroe (Michigan)
Evening News looked as bright as the sunrise over nearby Lake Erie.
After some rough times in the early 19805, which saw several major
retailers leave town and stalled efforts to revitalize Monroe's
decaying downtown business district, business was picking up at The
Evening News. Circulation had grown to more than 27,000 and the
paper was drawing new advertisers from two major shopping
complexes - Manufacturers' Marketplace, a factory outlet
development along bustling I-75, and Frenchtown Square, Monroe
County's first indoor shopping mall. In addition, the Detroit
Newspaper Agency's Joint Operating Agreement had just been
approved. While most Detroit-area competitors saw the JOA as bad
news, The Evening News' owners saw it as an opportunity. Monroe is
far enough (50 miles) away from Detroit not to be in direct
competition for advertising dollars, but close enough that many in
the Evening News circulation area (all of Monroe County and parts of
Lenawee, Washtenaw and Wayne counties) buy Detroit newspapers,

especially the Sunday editions.

2
Grattan Gray, publisher of the family-owned Monroe Publishing

Co., was eager to capitalize on the merger Of the two Detroit Sunday
papers. With the JOA, Gray and his son, Evening News Editor Stephen
Gray, and others in management, stepped up discussions of starting a
Sunday paper in Monroe. By October of 1988, they decided that _T_h_e
Evening News no longer would be a six-day-a-week paper --
delivered in the afternoons during the week and in the morning on
Saturday. By December, planning committees had mapped out a new
format. Several new staffers, including a graphics—minded news
editor, were hired in early winter and The Monroe Sunday News
premiered with great fanfare April 9, 1989.

In some ways, it was a celebration Of years Of hard work and a
symbol of how far the newspaper had come. Following many
industry trends over the previous decade, The Evening News had
become a much more interesting, more aggressive and more
attractive newspaper even before the debut of the Sunday edition.
Under Steve Gray's leadership, the paper his grandfather, J S Gray,
bought in 1926 had been transformed. Redesigned and
reinvigorated, the paper had become a source of pride for the Gray
family and the staff. The Sunday paper was the finishing touch,
something that made some staffers feel that they no longer were
working for a small-potatoes newspaper. The seven-day-a—week
Evening News was a "real newspaper."

Others have agreed. The Evening News has won a host Of
awards, just last year (1991) capturing the Michigan Press
Association's "General Excellence" commendation.

But that's not the end of this story.

3
With the introduction of the Sunday edition, Evening News

circulation began a steady decline. It reached its lowest point -
22,900 -- in December of 1990 and has yet to recover. Circulation
has been rising steadily since Lee Hatfield was hired as circulation
director in February of 1991, but the current total of 23,300, still is a
far cry from the 27,364 peak. Hatfield, not the news department,
universally is credited for any circulation recovery. He has
implemented strong marketing and customer service programs that
have brought results.

But why the decline? That's a question no one has been able to
answer definitively. Management was prepared for some falloff with
the Sunday paper. After studying Sunday paper implementations in
other communities Monroe's size, the Grays had become convinced
that the Sunday paper had to be Offered as part of a seven-day
package. In small towns where the Sunday paper was optional, it
died. The Evening News deal was this: People could purchase just the
Sunday paper, but they couldn't buy just the six-day daily paper. To
continue getting the daily paper, they had to take the Sunday edition.
Also, the seven-day—a-week subscription came with a $1 price hike.
The hike, which increased the weekly subscription rate from $1.25 to
$2.25, took effect a week after the Sunday paper was introduced.

Actually, only 50 cents was to cover the cost of the Sunday
paper. The other 50 cents was a subscription rate increase that had
been scheduled to take effect a year earlier, Steve Gray said. The
Grays had decided to postpone the increase because of inevitable

cancellations that follow any rate hike. At the time, the paper was

4
presenting itself to all the new national advertisers in town and it

wanted the numbers as large as they could be.

Though the Grays knew the Sunday paper and the rate hike
would mean cancellations, they were surprised at how many peOple
dropped the paper and how fast. For a time, management considered
making the Sunday paper optional, but, again drawing on the
experience of fellow Inland Press Association members who had
tried it, opted to tough it out. The seven-day rule remains today.

But the Sunday paper and rate hike aren't the only possible
reasons for the drop in circulation. Another likely factor is the
recession, which could be why the paper has been so slow to regain
lost readers. like most Michigan cities, Monroe has been hard hit by
the national economic slump, particularly as it has affected the
automotive industry.

A third reason for the decline could be the overall trend
toward decreased daily newspaper readership. Virtually every daily
newspaper has felt a drop in penetration, even in areas where
population increases have continued to fuel circulation. People do
not read newspapers like they used to, whether because they do not
have the time to make newspapers a daily habit or because they do
not have the inclination to get their news from papers.

This thesis is an attempt to determine how The Monro_e
Evening News might improve its product to help rebuild readership.
Through a survey of Evening News subscribers, it is hoped that the
newspaper staff can learn what types of news local readers are
interested in, and how readers feel the newspaper is serving their

needs. The project also is an effort to identify the " typical" Evening

5
News reader by sex, age, income and interests, in as much that such

identification is possible.
The goal is to distill current thought about newspaper

readership into a picture of the readers in one community.

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The media's critics often complain that bad news gets the most
ink. But the story's the same when the bad news hits close to home.
Newspaper readership is getting a lot of attention from researchers
and journalists these days. Not only is the news bad -- it's
potentially fatal.

Twenty-five years ago, in 1967, almost three-quarters of
American adults read newspapers every day. By 1988, only half of
the nation's adults were newspaper readers. Average daily
newspaper readership dropped from 78 percent of US. adults in
1970 to 62.4 percent in 1990, according to the Newspaper
Advertising Bureau. Everyday newspaper readership dropped from
73 percent of US. adults in 1967 to 52.6 percent in 1990, reported
the National Opinion Research Center in Chicago.1

 

1Mary Alice Bagby, "Transforming Newspapers for Readers," Eresstime,
April 1991, 19.

6

7
National readership statistics are worse for young adults, those

between 18 and 29. In 1967, two-thirds of young adults (67
percent) read a newspaper daily, but that figure plunged to 29
percent by 1988.2

Even where readership has remained steady, market
penetration is down. In the 35-year period between 1952 and 1987,
American newspaper circulation remained fairly level at 50 million
to 60 million while the nation's population grew from about 160
million to 250 million.3 During the same period, the number of
American households climbed from about 58 million to more than 90
million, almost doubling.4 As market penetration has fallen, so has
newspapers' share of total US. advertising volume, increasingly
feeling competition from television. Newspapers' advertising volume
was nearly $35 million in 1952 (during television's infancy), but
shrunk to about $27 million in 1987.5

US. daily newspaper circulation, pegged at 62,324,156 for
1990, scarcely has budged from its 1970 level of 62,107,527, but
population increased about 22 percent and the number of households

 

2Robert P. Clark, "Greed is Dangerous," The ASNE Bulletin July/August,
1990, 26.

 

3Chart in The ASNE Bulletin Jan. 1989, 3. Source cited: Editor &
belieher (newspaper circulation) and US. Bureau of Census, Current
Population Report, series D-ZS, Nos. 802, 1006 and 1011 (population).

 

 

4Chart in The ASNE Bulletin, Jan. 1989, 4. Source cited: Editor &
Publisher (newspaper circulation) and Newspaper Advertising Bureau
(households).

5Chart in The ASNE Bulletin, Jan. 1989, 4. Source cited: Newspaper
Advertising Bureau Inc., Economic and Media Analysis Unit/Research
Department.

8
rose 47 percent during the same ZOyear period.6 And among those

who continue to turn to newspapers as a source of local news, some
are looking to community weeklies rather than dailies.

A growing population no doubt helped The Monroe Evening
Nfl build circulation in the 1950s, 19605 and 19705, but real
growth was attained by increasing the circulation area, a strategy
that still is being employed. Initially a "Monroe paper," the
newspaper began reaching out to the rural areas of Monroe County
and, by the 19705, to every corner of Monroe County. Two satellite
offices were opened in the late 19705 and early 19805, in
communities that had been the domains of other newspapers. The
first such Office was in Bedford Township, a community just north of
the Ohio line. Though Bedford rivals the city of Monroe in
population, it has no strong local newspaper of its own and, because
it largely is a bedroom community for Toledo, has been a stronghold
of Toledo Me circulation. The Bedford bureau remains open and
has seen gains both in circulation and advertising, though not to the
extent that was hoped. The second satellite office is in Flat Rock, in
lower Wayne County. Through this office, The Evening New has
seen substantial gains in areas that do not feel they are well served
by the Detroit metro papers. These gains have come despite the
presence of some healthy weekly newspapers in the area.

The core of The Evgm g News circulation area remains Monroe
County, however. And the county has seen some decline in

population. In the 1980 US. Census, total county population was

 

6Bagby, Eresstime, April 1991, 24.

9
pegged at 134,659. By 1990, that total had dropped to 133,600.7

That population drop might help explain some of the recent decline
in Evening News circulation, but certainly it is not the whole
explanation. Circulation dropped more than population.

Spurred by the national statistics, the American Society of
Newspaper Editors conducted a survey of 1,264 adults in the
contiguous United States during the first half of 1990. The results of
the study, called "Keys to Our Survival," showed that:

* 5 5 percent of those surveyed were loyal readers, or people
who read the paper nearly every day. They have a high regard for
daily newspapers and prefer hard news.

* 13 percent were at-risk readers, or people who read the
paper fairly often (up to four times a week), but find little value in it.
They are not newspaper fans. They primarily are interested in news
that helps them cope with everyday living.

* 13 percent were potential readers, or people who
occasionally read newspapers. They like papers and respect them,
but don't consider them good sources of knowledge on current
events. They have a high interest in national, international and
business news.

* 1 9 percent were poor prospects, or nonreaders. They show
little interest in newspapers. Women were more likely than men to

turn up in this category.8

 

7"Monroe County Population and land Use Statistics," figures from US.
Census Bureau, provided by Monroe County Planning Department.

8lgeys to Our Surviv4al_, (Washington, D.C.: American Society of
Newspaper Editors, 1990), 3.

10
Loyal readers mostly are over age 35. Typical potential

readers are under 30; undergoing major life changes such as
marriage, children and job changes; pressed for time; busy, but in
control; seriously interested in events and hard news; and
cosmopolitan. Typical at-risk readers are under 30; read selectively
and less thoroughly; want news presented quickly, easily, fun; feel
harried and unable to control events; retreat to protected, provincial
world, and like stories on interesting people.9

For the future, the question seems to be whether newspapers
have to become new creatures to attract new readers or whether
they can increase readership by sticking with the fundamentals, and
becoming better newspapers. Both ideas are receiving a great deal of
attention within the industry. But the two concepts may not be
mutually exclusive. Newspapers can attract new readers by
improving their quality, as several studies, including one by Stephen
lacy & Frederick Fico of Michigan State University, have shown.10
The secret might be for newspapers simply to redefine some
traditional concepts of news and of how papers best serve their
readers.

In June, 1987, a group of 35 editors and publishers formed
New Directions for News, an organization devoted to addressing some
of the problems facing newspapers today, including declining
readership. And in 1991, the American Newspaper Publishers

 

91bid., 4.

108tephen lacy and Frederick Fico, "The link Between Newspaper

Content Quality & Circulation," ewspaper Research lournal, Spring 1991,
46-57.

1 1
Association tapped its new director from one of the greatest sources

of change within the industry -- USA Today. Cathleen Black, who
was publisher of the mold-breaking Gannett Co. national newspaper
since 1984, promises to continue leading change. She has overseen a
$500,000 advertising campaign to raise the profile of newspapers
with potential advertisers and readers. "I think that newspapers
have not marketed themselves very aggressively or very cohesively
to national advertisers," she said.11

Black sees a strong future for newspapers. "1 would imagine
by the year 2000, many newspapers will be better edited, better
designed, better organized, with the understanding that our readers
live in a time-pressed mode and that to keep their loyalty and
following we have to be responsive to those pressures," she said.
While stressing that she does not mean all paper have to be like Ufi
My, Black said she thinks the Gannett experiment has shown "that
news and information can be displayed graphically and visually and
it makes for a more interesting newspaper, particularly for a
younger generation who has grown up with television being a major
part of their lives."12

Publishers have begun paying attention to the literacy problem
in the United States, recognizing that unless people an read, and
unless they learn to e_njev reading, they are not going to read

newspapers. Project Read, a national program which matches

 

11Associated Press wire story, dateline: Washington, D.C., June 11, 1991.

121bid.

1 2
volunteer tutors with those who cannot read, is receiving increasing

support from newspaper companies, including The Evening News.

The acknowledgment that not all people can read newspapers
is not new. For decades, newspapers have at least attempted to
simplify writing so that people who read at junior high level, or
lower, can understand the stories. Journalism schools emphasize
short leads, editors hate long words, and most news " paragraphs"
contain only one relatively brief sentence. Newsrooms including that
at The Evening News have relied on tests like the "Fog" index, which
computes sentence length and word length to determine the level of
education needed to read the stories. There and elsewhere, the goal
(if not the reality) has been to write so that a junior high student
could understand the story.

While some educated adult readers find this condescending,
there is concern that the average adult does not read at the level his
or her education would suggest. Many high school graduates read
only at an elementary level, for instance.

However, some have found that, if anything, the readability of

American newspapers has worsened. Wayne A. Danielson, Dominic L.

lasorsa and Dae S. Irn Of the University of Texas found that, as
society has become more complex, the terminology of newspaper
articles has become more difficult to read, according to the widely
used Flesch Reading Ease Score. 13

 

13Wayne A. Danielson, Dominic L. lasorsa and Dae S. Irn, "Journalists
and Novelists: A Study of Diverging Styles," lournalism Qearterly, Summer
1992, 436-446.

 

Mu-‘ U ‘. “—-

1 3
One recent study showed that easy-to-read writing might not

be the answer to declining readership after all. The study, conducted
at the University of Maryland, found that readers preferred news
copy that was easy to read enlv if it also was interesting.14 It found
that if readers judged a story "interesting," they also perceived it to
be of high quality overall, regardless of its readability based on the
traditional "Fog" index. Though stories used in the study ranged
from 7.0 (seventh-grade level) to 22.8 (post doctoral) on the Fog
index, the index appeared to have no relationship to positive reader
evaluations of stories. Willingness to buy a newspaper was linked to
feelings that the reader had a desire to keep reading. One
implication of this may be that journalists no longer have the luxury
of assuming that people want to read their stories. Today,
"newspapers must offer readers news that is intriguing, and they
must present it in ways that make its value and relevance
immediately clear," the study shows.15

An interesting aside to the McAdams study is that it used news
stories selected from The Menrg Evening New in seven topical
areas: local news, state news, national news, international news,
sports, features, and editorials. Editor Steve Gray altered the stories
to increase their readability by making sentences shorter and terms

less complex.16 He and McAdams had expected that the easier-to-

 

l“Katherine C. McAdams, "Easy-tO-Read Writing is Not Enough to Attract
Readers," The ASNE Bulletin, March 1991, 26.

151bid., 28.

16Ibid., 27.

14
read stories would be the most preferred by those in the study

group, 445 adults.

The study could be flawed, however, in that the survey group
was highly literate. Of the more than 400 readers used in the
experiment, 239 were students in continuing education classes at
the University of Maryland, 73 were undergraduate (non-journalism)
students, and 133 were others in the university community, in
clerical, service, managerial and professional jobs.

Peter Francese, publisher of Ameriean Demographics magazine,
suggests that newspapers find out what interests their readers. "My
first suggestion is to look at what they spend their money on," he
said. Food, apparel, travel, home furnishings and health-related
goods all are prime topics for stories.17 Different types of families
and households are among "the most important things newspaper
executives should be looking at. Two-wage-eamer families have less
time to read newspapers. People without kids have more time to
travel, read, shop, have pets and hobbies and have time to read
about those things. It's incumbent on publishers to understand those
interests.”8

An idea being tried at some newspapers is involving "regular
folks" in daily news meetings, be they rotating representatives from
other departments or, as heretical as it sounds to newsroom
curmudgeons, inviting readers to staff meetings. The Concprd (New
Hampshire) Menitor has a board of contributors, community

 

l7Davis, Eresstime, April 1991, 11.

13Ibid.

1 5
members who contribute articles and suggestions. Half of the board

is replaced every six months.19

Community outreach projects at the Rocky Mountain News
have shown that its readers want more international news, more
information about local political candidates, more stories about
schools and education, more articles on science and the environment,
more news with a human face. In trade, they are willing (even
eager) to accept less news about meetings and bureaucracy. "What
has surfaced in almost two years of talking directly to readers is that
they want dependability. They want information they do not get
elsewhere -- information that is important to where and how they
live.... They want their newspapers to help them live -- at home, at
leisure, at work, in their communities, their states, their nation and
the world - as informed and involved citizens," said associate editor
Jean Otto.20

George Arwady, publisher of the Kalamazoo (Miehigan) Gazette,
was among the Associated Press Managing Editors members who
participated in a 1991 Detroit panel that focused on the similarities
between publishers' woes and those of auto executives. He said the
newspaper industry should respond to its readers' needs just as the
automobile industry has redirected its thinking about its customers.
Newspapers, like the Big Three, must work to improve their

products. "The number one product problem in the newspaper

 

19Richard Louv, "Extra! Extra! Tell Me All About It!" Christian Science
Monitor, June 27, 1991, 9.

20Jean Otto, "Reaching Out to Readers: A Mutual Survival Policy,"
hessp’me, July 1991, 47.

16
industry today is that we have very dull newspapers," Arwady

said.21

Nancy Woodhull, former president of Gannett News Services,
has suggested, "Maybe the problem with newspapers today is that
we are not newspapering very well. If we just hire good reporters,
have them do good stories, put the good stories on Page One and alert
readers to those good stories, maybe our industry's problems would
be solved."22 l

Some, including Nan Johnson, managing editor of the Glenwood k'
(Colo) Post, feel small papers have made a big mistake by "growing

 

up" in the last few years. By eliminating the chicken-dinner news
and trying to look like the big-city papers, community newspapers
may have lost their communities. "Why do people in a small town
buy a local newspaper? They want to read local news. Granted, if
there is a major national story breaking, such as the blow-up of the
Challenger, it should be on Page One of every newspaper, no matter
the size. But that is the exception to the rule."23

People in small towns don't want sophisticated papers, Johnson
said. "What they want is clear, concise and accurate news and

features about their schools, government, neighbors and businesses,

 

21Tony Case, "Hardships in Common," mitor & Publisher, Nov. 9, 1991, 31.

22Nancy Woodhull, "Do We Simply Need Better Newspapers, or
Something Totally Different?" The ASNE Bulletin January 1989, 7.

 

23Nan Johnson, " Editors Should Savor 'Chicken Dinner' News, " The ASNE
Bplletin, February 1989,28.

17
things that personally affect them in their life in a small town. That's

what we should be giving them."24

While newspaper market penetration declines across the
nation, the 25 DOC-circulation Wooster (Ohio) Daily Record has
penetration figures that major metros would envy. The Record's
daily penetration for 1990 was 105.2 1 papers per 100 households,
the highest in the country. Its secret is nothing short of
old-fashioned. "We spend a lot of time writing stories that probably
make the big fancy metro guys wince," said Melody Snure, managing
editor. "We're a scrapbook paper in some ways. People come in and
they'll buy 10 extra copies of their daughter's wedding, or their
honor roll. We print all that stuff. And, darn it, you can't tell me
that we're not a good, legitimate paper because we print club news
and we print personals."25

There is a cyclical relationship between newspapers, readers
and communities. It's a cycle that can benefit all three. The more
newspapers tell what's really going on in a community, the more
readers will care about that community and keep buying newspapers
to learn about what's going on and the cycle continues.

Gerald Stone concluded that stronger attachment to the
community was associated with higher levels of newspaper
circulation in the community. "People who are solidly established in
the community are the best clients for newspapers. Their interests

are closely associated with the content newspapers provide." It

 

24Ibid.

ZSW. Dale Nelson, "little Papers Score Big," The Quill, July/August 1991,
26.

 

18
would seem to follow that those people are reading newspapers for

local news.26

Eugene F. Shaw and Lisa Fortini-Campbell found that in small
towns the newspaper is considered a vital link to local and political
happenings. A small-town daily newspaper, particularly one that is
far from a larger metropolitan area, has virtually no competition for
the news it provides.27

Jay Rosen, assistant professor of journalism at New York

University, makes the argument that:

Anything that pulls people out of their
private worlds into the public realm is good
for newspapers. The reason for this is simple,
but frequently overlooked. People who are
involved and interested in community affairs
are doing, in a sense, productive work for
newspapers, in the same way that employees
who learn a new skill are creating an asset,
not only for themselves, but for their
companies. Active citizens produce, by their
own involvement, the desire to attend to
public affairs, which then becomes a task the
newspaper can relinquish. Of course, no one
can argue with recent efforts to make the
daily newspaper easier on the eye. A more
attractive product is always an advantage, as
long as the product has value in the first
place. But what makes the newspaper
valuable to people? Page design is not an
answer to this question, but public-spirited

 

26Gerald Stone, Examining Newspapers: What Research Reveals About
Ameg'ca's Newspapers, Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage Publications, Inc., 1987, p.

113.

27Eugene F. Shaw and Iisa Fortini-Campbell, "Newspaper Reading in
Small Towns," ANPA News Research Report No. 12, June 9, 1978.

 

19

journalism can be.... Rather than attempting
to draw the attention of distracted readers,
newspapers should encourage readers to live
the kind of life that natarally draws them to
the paper. Inform people that a hazardous
waste dump exists behind their homes and
they will quickly become readers Of
everything they can find about hazardous
waste. No flashy colors or handsome charts
will be needed to draw their attention toward
news coverage of environmental issues. By
perceiving their own stake in such issues,
citizens make themselves into patrons of the
newspaper, relieving the newspaper of an
expensive (and often degrading) chore:
grabbing the attention of otherwise
uninterested readers.28

Rosen's theory is similar to that explored in detail by
researcher and author Keith R. Stamm in his book, Newspaper Use
and Communig Ties. Stamrn concludes that while there is a strong
correlation between community involvement and newspaper
readership, community ties also affect what one reads and hpw one
reads.29

Responsible newspapers always have provided a mix of news
that their readers want and news that their readers need. But that
mix is changing. Readers' needs are different than they were
decades ago. Society has changed and so have newspaper readers.
People are busier today. Many are less literate. And readers' wants

also are changing. Many rely on weekly newspapers to give them

 

28Jay Rosen, "Newspapers' Future Depends on Shaping Trends in How
People live," The ASNE Bellep‘n, December 1989, 16.

29Keith R. Stamm, Newspaper Use and Community Ties: jljowagd a
LMamic Theopy, Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1985.

 

20
their community news in a concise package. like it or not, daily

newspapers today have a great deal of competition, not only from
weeklies and the electronic media, but from all the possible ways
that people can spend their time. Newspapers trying to stall the
readership decline might be wise to ask what news is important to
their readers -- and give them more of it.

"Guesstimates" about such reader interests are made every
day, in newsrooms across America. In daily planning meetings,
editors take part in ritual discussions about news budgets, news
holes and the makeup of their next editions. The sessions go
something like this: Editors toss around the news of the day, trying
to decide what their readers want to read. What should go on the
front page? What should be relegated to Page 10B? What should be
developed into a longer piece for Sunday? The judgments are based
on a combination of the editors' own experiences, their knowledge of
the world and of the newspaper business, their perceptions of
readers' interests and, largely, by their own gut feelings about the
stories.

It's far from an exact science. And, if declining newspaper
readership is any indication, editors often miss the mark in deciding
what news is important to their subscribers.

The scenario is much the same at The Monroe Evening News.
Each day at 9 a.m., Editor Steve Gray, Managing Editor Deborah Saul,
News Editor Harry Orscheln and local Editor Bob Stiegel meet in the
Saul's office to discuss placement of the day's stories. In recent
months, Circulation Director Lee Hatfield has sat in on the meetings

so he will know which stories to promote on news racks that day.

2 1
The editors try to determine which stories will appeal to their

readers - which the readers will want to read and which they will
need to read. The group comes up with a plan for Page One, some
ideas for Page 3A (the main local news page) and discusses any
upcoming newsroom projects.

Often, the decisions aren't so easy. Which story is most
important: a bombing in London, England, or a road-paving dispute
in Monroe County's London Township? The plight of the Haitian boat
people or a marina development on lake Erie? A new United States
postmaster general or a new postmaster in South Rockwood?

There are debates. Some in The Evening News newsroom feel
that Page One should be dominated with world, national and state
news. Many of their readers get no other paper, they stress. Others
feel that the newspaper should emphasize local news, even at the
expense of trimming or eliminating some wire stories. This is a local
paper, after all. As the news hole has tightened with a recessionary
drop in advertising, the arguments have grown stronger.

This research is an attempt to eliminate some of the guesswork.
By asking Evening News readers how interested they are in various
forms of information and whether they would like to see more, less
or the same of certain types of stories, this project may shed some
light on the "typical" Evening News reader and, in a sense, invite
him/her to those daily editors' meetings. These are the questions the
thesis research was designed to answer:

* Do people who subscribe to community daily
newspapers get most of their local (county, city, township

and community) news from the newspaper? Where do they

 

mama...” T ' .

2 2
get their information about state, national and international

events -- from the local newspaper, a state newspaper,
television?

While state, national and international news is available
through many media, community newspapers (generally those with
circulations under 100,000) often are the only media covering events
in their small towns. Community ties have been shown to increase
community newspaper readership. People who are interested in
their towns are more apt to read newspapers. It follows that they
are reading those newspapers primarily for news about their
communities, but are depending on television and other media for
information about state, national and international events.

* How interested are community daily newspaper
readers in news about their local units of government?

People care about government actions that affect them,
particularly those that involve spending taxpayers' dollars. It seems
to follow that community newspaper subscribers are interested in
what their governmental units are doing.

* How interested are readers in local police and court
11 ews ?

Traditionally, the police blotter has been a staple of community
newspaper coverage. At The Evening News, every arrest, every
proceeding in the criminal courts, every stolen car, every injury
accident are reported on Page 2A. Names, ages and addresses are
included in arrest and court proceedings. What do the readers

think? Do they want to see more crime coverage, or less?

2 3
* How interested are community daily newspaper

readers in entertainment stories —- those about television
shows, celebrities, music?

One trend as newspapers try to appeal to a diminishing
audience is to entertain more and, as some see it, inform less. This
especially has been viewed as a way to woo younger readers, who
profess less interest in hard news (politics, etc.) and more interest in
entertainment news. One study showed that 49 percent of those
ages 18 to 24 would choose a newspaper that was mostly feature
stories over one that was all news.30

Though the survey identified "entertainment news" as stories
about TV shows, celebrities and music, readers may define it
differently. At times, virtually any kind of news can be entertaining,
from a particularly spirited city council debate to a blow-by-blow
account of a bank robbery. In small towns, sometimes the most
humorous page of the newspaper is not the comics, but the police
news. At The Evening News, one recent police story told of someone
who broke into a Frito-Lay truck and stole only a few bags of
pretzels and a couple cases of dip.

* How interested are readers in consumer and how-to
stories? What types of stories would help them with their
daily lives?

One of the greatest strengths of newspapers always has been

their willingness to give people the information they need, not just

 

301120 Bogart, Press and Pu ic: 0 ea 5 What When ere
in American Newspapers, Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1989.

24
the information they want. Today, perhaps that means newspapers

helping readers with their daily lives. Consumer and how-to stories
do just that.

* Would readers be interested in obtaining news
electronically? If so, what type of news? And through
what medium?

One way that newspapers are diversifying themselves as
information providers is by offering both news and other
information via push-button telephone, computer linkage and cable
television. This combines the resources of newspapers with the
immediacy of the electronic media. Are readers interested? If so,
how would they like to receive the information?

* Who are The Evening News' subscribers? How old
are they? How long have they lived in the community?
How much education to they have? Overall, what do they
think of their newspaper? What is the profile of the
"typical" Evening News reader?

Knowing the audience can make a big difference in directing
news coverage, writing stories and placing stories. Knowing the
" typical" Evening News reader can keep staffers from judging the
value of news stories merely by their own interests, which can differ
greatly from the readers' interests if the staff is of a different age,
education level, etc., than the typical reader.

There are some inherent dangers in defining a "typical" reader,
however. Just as no one could precisely fit the US. Census Bureau's
"average" of having 2.3 children, few readers literally will be
described by the definition of "typical" that the survey creates. Thus,

 

25
the newspaper risks alienating some readers if it attempts to cater to

this fictitious "typical" reader.

 

CHAPTER 3

METHOD

To determine the interests of The Monroe Evening News
readers, a telephone survey of 400 current subscribers was
conducted during the period from May 16 to May 30, 1992. In
selecting subscribers for the survey, the author relied on a computer
printout of all home—delivery customers. For obvious reasons,
readers who buy their newspapers off the street and store racks
were not included in this survey. The total population was 19,692,
which represented The Evening News' home-deliveries as of May 13,
1992.

The printout sorted subscribers by five circulation districts.
District 102, the area in the city of Monroe north of the River Raisin,
contained 3,149 subscribers; District 140, in the city south of the
river, 2,708 subscribers; District 203, populated areas north of the
city limits, 2,523 subscribers ; District 204, populated areas south of
the city limits, 2,086 subscribers; and District 205, rural motor-route

26

27
subscribers throughout Monroe County and parts of Lenawee

County, 9,226 subscribers.

Because the circulation districts were not equal, either in
population or geography, the author determined which percentage of
total circulation that district represented and then set out to survey a
proportionate number of subscribers within each district. District
102 represented 16 percent of total home—delivered subscriptions, so
64 surveys (16 percent of the 400 total) were conducted within that
district. Similarly, 56 surveys, or 14 percent, were conducted within
District 140; 52 surveys, or 13 percent, within District 203; 40, or 10
percent, within District 204; and 188, or 47 percent, within District
205.

Within those districts, roughly every 49th home was selected
randomly by dividing the circulation total by the number of surveys
needed within that district. For example, in District 102, there were
3,149 homes and 64 surveys were to be completed. Dividing 3,149
by 64, it was determined that every 49th subscriber should be
surveyed. Using this method, every 48th subscriber in District 140
was called, every 49th in District 203, every 52nd in District 204 and
every 49th in District 205. Overall, roughly every 49th Evening
HEELS subscriber was called, as 400 surveys represents roughly one-
forty-ninth, or 2.03 percent, of the total 19,692 home subscribers.

Calls were made by a core group of five surveyors during
daytime, evening and weekend hours. They found it necessary to
call 565 subscribers to complete the 400 surveys, for a response rate
of 71 percent. The other 165 potential respondents either were

unavailable or uninterested. Each selected subscriber was called a

28
minimum of three times during various times of day and evening,

before being eliminated from the survey. Several were called more
than three times if they had expressed any interest in answering the
questions at a later date. The Memorial Day holiday weekend fell in
the middle of the two-week surveying period, a fact which seemed to
hinder participation. It was difficult to reach people at home from
Friday through Tuesday of that weekend, and many of those who
were at home said they were entertaining, or just about to leave or
otherwise could not take time for the survey.

If a name had to be eliminated from the survey, either because
the party could not be reached or had said no, it was replaced with
another name from within the same circulation area. If every 49th
name had been selected on the first pass through the circulation
listing, the 50th names were selected as replacements. Because
listings were sorted by street, the logical outcome was that the
surveyors would be contacting the neighbor of the person who had
been unavailable. That seemed to the fairest way to keep the
distribution even, although it was easier to reach people within
certain neighborhoods than in others. In some areas, four or five
homes were contacted before someone was interviewed for the
survey.

In addition to balancing the survey geographically, an attempt
was made to interview a balanced number of men and women. That
was much more difficult. It became obvious from the first day that
the surveyors were interviewing more women than men. By the
second day, they began asking for male readers, but even that was
difficult. In many cases, the subscriber households were headed by

 

29
women, frequently widowed senior citizens. As will become

apparent in the Results chapter, one quarter Of those interviewed
were over age 66, a group that tends to be disproportionately female.
There also seemed to be a tendency on the part of male readers to
say, "Hang on a minute, I'll let you talk to my wife. She reads the
paper more than I do." Some men even asked us to call back later
when their wives would be home. Ultimately, the survey was
answered by 274 women and 126 men, for an awkward split of
68.5-31.5 percent.

There was concern that anything other than a 50-50 male-
female ratio could bias the results. For that reason, many of the
responses are given not only for total respondents, but are broken
down by male and female.

Though not the primary focus of this study, age often has been
found to affect reader interest. In some areas, Evening News survey
results are divided by age category to see whether that is a factor in
Monroe. This especially is important because age distribution of
survey respondents was so much different than that for the general
population. While one-quarter of the respondents were over age 66,
the number of Monroe County residents over age 65 is only 10
percent of the total population, 13,827 of 133,600.3'1

The survey (Appendix A) was supplemented by a two-page list
of definitions (Appendix B) that helped surveyors accurately and
consistently answer any questions the respondents had about the

questions themselves.

 

31U.S. Census information from Monroe County Planning Department.

30
Each survey typically took about 10 minutes, though

interviews lasted longer when the subscribers made additional
comments. They were encouraged to make any comment they

wished in the open-ended portions of the survey.

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS

Among the goals of this survey were to identify the interests Of
home subscribers of The Monrx Evenrp' g News as they related to
specific categories of news, to test the waters for The Evening News
expanding into electronic news services and to create a profile of the
"typical" Evening News reader, to the degree that is possible. The
results offer responses to specific survey questions -- but they also
offer a great deal more. In the course of this project, some of the
author's preconceptions have been supported, some have been
disproven. Yet some of the most interesting information has come in
the form of "surprises," details about the newspaper's readers that
were unexpected. In some cases, trends became apparent in areas
that were not even addressed by the survey. Both the research
question responses and the unexpected insights will be presented
here.

* Do people who subscribe to community daily
newspapers get most of their local (county, city, township
and community) news from the newspaper? Where do they

get their information about state, national and international

31

 

3 2
events -- from the local newspaper, a state newspaper,

television?

The expectation was that people are reading The Evenw‘ g New
primarily for local news and they are depending on television and
other media for information about state, national and international
events. The first part of this preconception, that subscribers get
most of their local news from The Evening News, was supported by
the survey, to an even greater degree than anticipated. Fully 86
percent (344) of the 400 respondents said they get most of their
information about local news events from The Evening News. Also,
some of the 38 (9.5 percent) who were categorized as "other" (See

Table 1), responded that they get most of their local news from more

 

Table 1
Primary sources of news by type

Int'l National State Local
Television 60.0% 60.0% 29.0% 2.5%
Evening News 8.5 9.0 32.0 86.0
Other papers 6.5 4.5 5.0 1.0
Radio 3.5 2.5 4.0 1.0
Other 21.5 24.0 30.0 9.5

N = 400, margin of error :1: .05 at 95 percent confidence level

than one source, often including The Evening News. That could mean
that the paper's importance as a local news source actually is
understated by the 86 percent figure.

Somewhat surprisingly, 127 (32 percent) said The Evening
_Ne_w_s is their primary source for state news. While not a majority,

3 3
that 32 percent is the highest state news ranking for any of the

media choices. That indicates that, among subscribers surveyed, Tie
Evgn_n' g New is the single greatest primary source for both local and
state news. It had been expected that television (Monroe is within
the broadcast range of at least four Detroit stations that cover
Michigan news) and the two Detroit daily newspapers would have
better showings in this category. Television ranked second, with 1 18
readers (29 percent) saying that TV is their primary source of local
news, and the "other" category ranked third with 30.5 percent.
Competing newspapers were distant followers. (Though results for
various other newspapers were collapsed into Table 1 because the
cell totals were so small, the survey listed them separately.)

Though not delineated as such in Table 1, the "other" listing
was used for tabulation purposes whenever a subscriber said he/ she
could not list just one source of news under that question, as well as
when someone gave an answer that was not mentioned above, such
as national news magazines like Lime or Newsweek, or national
newspapers, like The Wall Street loumal or USA Today. In the case
of state news, the "other" response Often meant that the person relies
on both The Evening News and one of the Detroit papers, or both _T_h_e
Evening News and television, for instance.

This survey suggests that people are getting their local and
state news from The Evening News, but they are getting their
national and international news elsewhere -- and not from any other
newspaper. In both the national and international news categories,

the primary news source is television, with well over half the

3 4
respondents saying they get most of that information from television

(Table 1). The Evew’ g New ran a distant second in each category.

From a competitive standpoint for The Evening News, it is
interesting to note that not a single respondent said he or she gets
most of his/ her local news from The Menroe Gaardiw, the weekly
newspaper in town. Not shown on Table 1 is the fact that six of the
"other" responses in the local news category were for a combination
of The Eve;n_n' g News and The Gtwdian. The obvious response to this
is that the respondents are Evenw’ g News subscribers, so of course
they get most of their local news from The Evening News. However,
The Menrw Guardian claims that it has a circulation far greater than
the daily paper's and that it is delivered (on a voluntary pay basis)
to every geographic area of the county. Such claims have caused
some units of government to consider transferring legal advertising
from The Evening News to The Monroe Gufldiw, despite Evening
_N_ew assertions that people "invite" The Evm’ g News into their
homes and read it, while T_he_G_paghap Often is pitched as "junk"
mail. This survey serves to bolster assertions that peOple who get
both papers rely most heavily on The Evening News for local
information.

The survey results also indicate that the Toledo and Detroit
daily newspapers have very little impact on Evening News
subscribers, but that The E01211; Free Press seems to be the strongest
of the three competitors in terms of where people get their news.
Perhaps that is because The Free Press is a morning newspaper and
some people seem to prefer that. Though there was no question on

the survey about preference between morning and afternoon

3 5
newspapers, some readers did comment on Evening News wire

stories being old, or being rehashes of Frg Press stories and stories
they've already heard on television. One subscriber commented, "I
would like The Menroe Evening News to come out earlier (morning)
so I don't have to buy The Detroit News on the way to work."

No statistical differences were found between the way men and
women obtain their news.

* How interested are community daily newspaper
readers in news about their local units of government?

The stated expectation was that people care about government
actions that affect them, particularly on a local level. This survey
supported that assertion, showing that, on a scale of 1 to 5, with "1"
being low and "5" being high, 85 percent of Evew‘ g News readers
ranked their interest at least a "3" (Table 2).

Table 2

Subscribers' interest in local government, expressed on a scale
of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high

Interest level 1 2 3 4 5
Percentage 6 9 27 30 28
N = 400, margin of error 1: .05 at 95 percent confidence level
Responding to the question, which asked them to rank their

interest in "governmental meetings in your city, township or village,"

a majority of the readers questioned (58 percent) answered with a

 

36
"4" or a "5," the highest two answers. The average interest level in

 

local news was 3.6.

Perhaps most interesting about this response was that there
was no significant difference between males and females, nor among
readers of different ages. They a_ll_ say they are interested in news
about their local units of government. The author had not expected
much difference between men and women, but would have predicted
some distinctions among age groups. Generally, it would seem,
interest in government would increase with age, as people buy ,.
homes, pay taxes and raise children. This survey did not bear that E
out, though this could be due to sampling error. With roughly a third
of those surveyed over age 60, young people were under-sampled.

It was anticipated that length of residency would influence

interest in local government. That did not seem to be the case.
Length of residency was not statistically significant as a determiner
of interest in local government. It was interesting to note, however,
that 72 percent (289) of the 400 readers surveyed have lived in the
community more than 21 years.

After asking people to rate their interest in news about their
local government, the survey asked them whether they would like
The Evening News to provide more coverage of the topic, less, or
about the same as it currently offers. Sixty-nine percent (Table 3).
responded that they would like coverage to be the same, though a
significant number, 28 percent, said they would like to see more

coverage. Only 3 percent would like less local government coverage.

37

Table 3

Subscribers' demand for coverage of local government news,
expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same coverage when
compared with that currently provided

Demand More Less Same
Percentage 2 8 3 69

N = 400, margin of error 1 .05 at 95 percent confidence level

* How interested are subscribers in local police and
court news?

For as long as anyone can remember, The Evening New has
published a daily crime log, complete with a police column of break-
ins, thefts, robberies and arrests, an accident column reporting on
most, if not all, injury accidents, and a listing of every proceeding in
the district and circuit courts, from divorces to murders. The
assumption always has been that "this is what newspapers do"; T_he
Evening New , to a large extent, always has served as a newspaper of
record. Under no circumstances can a person keep his or her name
out of the arrests, divorces, marriage licenses, etc. If it happened, it
is reported.

From time to time, there is discussion about how much detail
should be included in crime stories -- especially "petty" ones -- but,
in general, the thought always has been that the readers need, and
probably want, all the information The Evening News can give them
when it comes to police and courts.

This survey confirms that sentiment. The results (Table 4)

38

Table 4

Subscribers' interest in police and court news, expressed
on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high

Interest level 1 2 3 4 5
Percentage 4 9 23 27 37

N = 400, margin of error :1: .05 at 95 percent confidence level

suggest that there is a strong interest in police and court news.
Sixty-five percent of respondents rated their interest in police and
court news as "4" or "5." Fully 88 percent ranked it as "3" or better
on a scale of 1-5. The average interest level was 3.8.

That's not to say everyone loves the crime blotter, however.
Five percent (18 readers) rated their interest as a "1," and several
readers made negative comments about the coverage, such as:

"People's name, age, etc. should not be in the police news."

"Police news is a bunch of gossip, and unnecessary."

"There seems to be too much emphasis on police and court
news, who was sentenced. I don't need to see that. Who follows up
to see if they're innocent? That page rubs me the wrong way."

Some readers said that they do not like to see stories about
officials who drink and drive. Two comments were that the driving-
while-intoxicated arrests of a state representative from Monroe
County and the acting Monroe city manager should not have gone on
Page One. Those stories were too embarrassing to the men, the

readers thought.

_....._.._--. -_._‘.n .A... .p-
l

39
Men are less likely than women to be interested in police and

court news (Table 5), and younger people are less likely than older
people (Tables 6) to read it.

Table 5

Subscribers' interest in police and court news, expressed on
a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high, by sex

 

Interest level 1 2 3 4 5 N =
Male 9% 13% 21% 25% 32% 126
Female 3 7 24 27 39 274

N = 400, chi square = 13.26, d.f. = 4, P < .05

Table 6

Subscribers' interest in police and court news, expressed on
a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high, by age

 

Interest level 1 2 3 4 5 N =
Ages 18-30 0% 11% 22% 37% 30% 46
3 1-40 6 7 30 34 23 83
41-50 7 13 18 32 30 76
5 1-60 5 8 34 18 35 62
61 and older 5 7 16 20 52 131

N = 398, chi square = 33.89, d.f. = 16, P < .01

There could be many reasons for this, but one explanation may
be that women and older people tend to be more interested in crime

news because, statistically, they are most likely to be victims of

-nJ-u—nt.r— 24"- -- n
n

40
crime. Another potential explanation is that, in a community where

people tend to stay for their entire lives, young men (who commit
most crimes) do not like having information about their infractions
remaining permanently in the local memory.

Though 1 7 percent of the respondents asked for more police
and court news, and 9 percent sought less, the overwhelming
majority (75 percent) said coverage should stay the same (Table 7).
Those who asked for more coverage often commented that they

would like more details about where and how the crime took place.

Table 7

Subscribers' demand for coverage of police and court news,
expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same coverage
when compared with that currently provided

Demand More Less Same
Percentage 17 8 75

N= 400, margin of error a; .05 at 95 percent confidence level

* How interested are community newspaper readers
in entertainment stories - those about television shows,
celebrities, music?

One of the biggest trends in newspapers today is that toward
more entertainment stories and, some would argue, less hard news.
Reporters at virtually every paper, including The Evening News, are
encouraged to write shorter, snappier, even fewer, news stories and
to do more "pieces" on television stars, movie premieres, music
concerts and fashions. N 0 longer are such stories relegated to the

"feature" or "entertainment" sections, either. They just as often are

 

4 1
turning up on Page One or local-section fronts, sometimes as

"localized" versions of national stories.

The recent opening of the "Batman Returns" movie was a prime
example. The premiere was covered as a news event in most cities.
A Detroit television news anchor even brought her McDonald's lunch
bag into the studio so viewers of her "news show" could see that
McDonald's was promoting the Batman movie. At The Evening News,
a photographer was assigned to see if there was a line outside a
movie theater. The line wasn't all that long, but the photo (complete
with the marquee announcing show times for the movie) ran on Page
One. Are reporters whose city hall or political stories get bumped for
such hype being too sensitive? Maybe, according to this survey.

Overall responses indicate that about half (49 percent) of
respondents ranked their interest as being high, either a "4" or "5"
(Table 8), while another 30 percent ranked it as being a "3." Only 21
percent of the readers ranked their interest in entertainment
information as low, a " 1" or a "2." The average interest level was

pegged at 3.4.

Table 8

Subscribers' interest in entertainment stories, expressed
on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high

Interest level 1 2 3 4 5
Percentage 8 13 30 26 23

N = 400, margin of error :i: .05 at 95 percent confidence level

42
The author speculated that age would have a great deal to do

with how interested someone is in entertainment news. Throughout
the newspaper industry, entertainment news has been seen as one
way to woo young readers. At The Evening News, however, it does
not seem to be only young readers who are looking for
entertainment stories. There was no statistically significant
difference between the age of readers and their interest in
entertainment stories.

There is a significant difference when it comes to the sex of
respondents, however. Women are far more likely (Table 9) than

men to look for entertainment stories.

Table 9

Subscribers' interest in entertainment news, expressed
on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high, by sex

 

Interest level 1 2 3 4 5 N =
Male 13% 17% 32% 24% 14% 126
Female 5 12 29 27 27 274

N = 400, chi square = 15.04, d.f= 4, P < .01

Despite their strong interest in entertainment stories, Evening
vas readers seem satisfied with the amount of coverage such
stories are given. Seventy-five percent (302 of the 400 respondents)
said entertainment coverage should be the same as currently offered,

while 2 1 percent would like more coverage and 4 percent less.

43

Table 10

Subscribers' demand for coverage of entertainment news,
expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same coverage
than currently is provided

Demand More Less Same
Percentage 21 4 75

N = 400, margin of error 1 .05 at 95 percent confidence level

* How interested are readers in consumer and how-to
stories? What types of stories would help them with their
daily lives?

The preconception was that Eyewipgiiew readers would be
interested in more consumer and how-to stories because such stories
can help them with everyday concerns. That was heavily supported
by the survey. Male, female, young, old, virtually everyone
interviewed indicated at least a moderate interest in consumer and
how-to stories, with more than a third (37 percent) suggesting (Table
12) that The Evening News needs to provide more such information.
Fifty-one percent of respondents indicated a high (a "4" or a "5")
interest in how-to information (Table 1 1), with another 30 percent
expressing moderate interest, a "3." Only 19 percent exhibited a low

interest in such information. The answers averaged to 3.5.

 

44

Table 1 1

Subscribers' interest in consumer and how-to stories,
expressed on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high

Interest level 1 2 3 4 5
Percentage 5 14 30 27 24

N = 400, margin of error :9: .05 at 95 percent confidence level

Table 1 2

Subscribers' demand for coverage of consumer and how-to
stories, expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same
coverage when compared to what currently is provided

Demand More Less Same
Percentage 3 7 4 59

N = 400, margin of error :9: .05 at 95 percent confidence level

45
* Would readers be interested in obtaining news

electronically? If so, what type of news? And through
what medium?

If offered weather reports, election returns or classified
advertising on cable television, Evgn_n’ g News subscribers might be
interested. Otherwise, most don't seem ready yet to accept news
electronically, be it by cable, push-button telephone or computer
(Table 13).

Table 13

Subscribers' likelihood of acquiring information by alternative
means, as expressed by type of information

 

likelihood Very likely Likely Not likely Unsure
Weather 1 7% 3 2% 5 1% 0%
Local news 12 40 48 0
Community 9 36 55 0
calendar

World news 9 33 57 1
Ad updates 9 26 65 0
Classifieds 7 24 68 1
Sports scores 7 1 1 80 2
Stock prices 4 10 85 1
Horoscopes 3 1 1 86 0

N = 400, margin of error 1 .05 at 95 percent confidence level

Nearly half (49 percent) of those surveyed said they would be
"very likely" or "likely" to use electronic means to access up-to-the-
minute weather reports, but few of the other proposed categories of
information received such interest. Sizable numbers of readers said
they were "likely" to use electronic services to obtain information

about local news, world news, classifieds and community calendar,

46
but, in most categories, the majority of readers said they were

"unlikely" to take advantage of the services. Under local news, the
mention that seemed to elicit the most positive responses was that of
election results, something Evm’ g News readers have become
accustomed to accessing by telephone. For years, the newspaper has
staffed its switchboard on election nights to give results as they come
in for local races.

Of those who expressed any interest in electronic news, 45
percent (178), said they would like it via cable television. Sixteen
percent said they would use a push-button telephone to access such
information and only 6 percent said they would use a computer
(Table 14).

Table 14
Subscribers' preferred electronic media for receiving news

Preference Telephone Cable TV Computer None
Percentage 16 45 6 33

N = 400, margin of error e .05 at 95 percent confidence level

At least in some areas of Monroe County, the problem might be
one of availability. In parts of the Dundee area, for instance,
subscribers said they might be interested in such services, but their
rural area still has no cable television and General Telephone does
not offer them push-button telephone service.

Availability also is an issue with computers. Only 81 people
(20 percent) said they own home computers. It is interesting to note

that only 26 of those 81 computer owners (7 percent Of the 400 total

47
respondents) would want to receive any type of news or information

via computer. Some said they don't use their computers much or
they have them just for their children, who use them for games.

Age is a factor when it comes to computer use. As Table 15
shows, 78 percent of the computer owners are between the ages of
3 1 and 50. Computer use drops off virtually to zero after age 61, the

age range which includes most of the surveyed readers.

 

Table 15
Percentage of subscribers who use home computers,
sorted by age
Use computer Yes No
Age 18-30 11% 89%

3 1—40 4 1 59

41-50 37 63

5 1-60 16 84

61 and over 3 97

N = 398, chi square = 62.65, d.f. = 4, P < .01

48
* Who are The Eyening New' subscribers? How old

are they? How long have they lived in the community?
How much education do they have? Overall, what do they
think of their newspaper?

As mentioned in earlier sections, this survey ultimately was
unbalanced both in terms of sex and age, two factors which seem to
reveal a great deal about Evgw’ g News readership. Try as the
surveyors might to reach male readers, only 126 of the 400 (3 1.5
percent) interviewed were men; 274 (68.5 percent) were women
(Table 16). The surveyors did not even try to balance the ages of
respondents. It became obvious from the outset that the
newspaper's circulation is heavily populated with senior citizens,
people who developed the newspaper habit long ago. Of the 400
surveyed, 99 (25 percent) were ages 66 or Older (Table 17). When
those ages 61-65 are added, the "senior" readership jumps to 33
percent, a third of the total.

Table 16
Sex of survey respondents

Male Female
31.5% 68.5%

N=400

49

Table 1 7

Age of survey respondents

 

Age Percent
18-20 1.5
2 1-25 3.5
26-30 6.5
3 1-35 9.0
36-40 12.0
41-45 8.0
46-50 11.0
5 1-55 9.0
56-60 6.5
61-65 8.0

66 and over 25.0
N = 398
Table 18

Years survey respondents have lived in the community
covered by The Evening News

Years in area Percent

 

0-5 8
6-10 5
11-15 7
16-20 7
21-30 17
31 or more 56

N=4OO

50

Table 19

Education of survey respondents,
listed as highest level of schooling completed.

 

Education Percent
Grade school 4
Some high school 1 1
High school 43
Trade school 3
Some college 1 7
2-year college degree 9
4-year college degree 9
Graduate school 4
N = 400
Table 20

Household income of survey respondents

 

Income range Percent
< $10,000 annually 1 2
$ 1 1,000—$20,000 1 6
$2 LOCO-$30,000 19
$3 1,000-$40,000 1 7
$41,000-$50,000 1 7
$5 1,000- $60,000 8
$6 1,000-$70,000 5
$71,000-plus 6

N=293

 

51

Table 2 1

Amount of time subscribers spend reading
The Evening News each weekday,
time expressed in intervals of minutes

 

 

Time < 10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 > 60

Percent 4 1 8 24 20 10 1 3 1 1
N = 400
Table 22
Amount of time subscribers spend reading
The Evening New each Sunday,
time expressed in intervals of minutes

Time < 10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 > 60

Percent 6 11 16 16 11 18 22

N=4OO

52

When totals from the previous tables (Tables 16-22) are
averaged, the " typical" Evening News reader emerges as:

* Female

* Age: 46-50

* Household income: $3 LOGO-$40,000

* Has lived in community 21-30 years

* Education: Some college or trade school

* Number of newspaper readers in household: 2.3

* Time spent with The Eve_n_1p' g New daily: 30-40
minutes

Time spent with The Evening News on Sundays:
40—50 minutes

Such categorization can be dangerous, however. No cross-
referencing was done to determine how many of Evening News
subscribers actually are 48-year-old women who attended trade
school, live in households with 2.3 readers and incomes of $35,000,
but it's a good bet that there is no such animal.

The US. Census Bureau listed the median family income of
Monroe County residents as $40,532 for 1989.

Readers, who had been asked to rank their interest in various
news stories on a scale of 1-5, also were asked to rank their overall
satisfaction with the newspaper. No guidelines were given;
respondents were free to base their judgments on anything from
news content to whether the carrier hits the porch. Based solely on
feedback that is received in the newsroom (via phone calls, letters
and peOple who stop by), it was expected that the responses would
be somewhere in the middle of the range, with high ratings balancing

5 3
out low ones. Some news staffers, upon hearing that readers

actually were going to be questioned about the news product, were
quite concerned about negative feedback. They were convinced that
every comment would be criticism, that readers would ask for
"more" coverage Of every category, and that the newsroom would be
faced with trying to meet these new, impossible expectations. Quite
the contrary. By and large, the survey indicated that Evening News
readers are satisfied with the paper -- in fact, they really like it.

Though their interest level in any one type of news never was
higher than 3 .9 (Table 23), readers ranked their overall satisfaction
with The va’pg News at 4.2.

The depth of good feeling toward the paper was apparent in
many unsolicited positive comments, such as:

"I really like it."

"I enjoy reading it."

"I have lived in Saginaw and Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Your
paper is the best. It covers a_lwt and covers Monroe like a big town.
I'm m impressed with your paper."

"For a local newspaper, I think it's a pretty good paper. like
The Telede Blade is terrible for a town that size."

Spme spgprises;

In several instances, the survey indicated subscriber attitudes
that had not been anticipated. For instance, the average interest
levels cited for various stories (Table 23) pointed out some
interesting discrepancies between what readers want and what the
staff has assumed they want. Club news and farm news, long staples

of The Evening News diet, really aren't enjoyed that much, according

54
to the survey. Yet news about health, science and the environment,

covered only sporadically covered by the newspaper, are of great
interest to its readers.

Interestingly, the story topics ranked highest by this survey
are surprisingly similar to those listed as primary interests in leo
Bogart's 1977 study.32 In that research, 15 years ago, people ranked
best food buys; health, nutrition, medical advice; human-interest
stories on people in the news; consumer news; and articles on the
environment as top interests. Also, Bogart noted that stories about
the weather, accidents or disasters, letters to the editor and human-
interest stories attract readership for more than would be indicated
by their presence in most newspapers.

Another notable point is that readers profess the highest
interest of all (3.9 average) in national news, yet most get that news
from a source other than The Evening News. Similarly, weather news
received a fairly high interest level (3.5), but many told the
surveyors that they don't rely on the newspaper for weather reports.
Though the surveyors did sometimes have to stress this point, it
seems clear that the respondents made the distinction between
rating their interest in the topics and rating how much of that news
they received from The Evening N ews,

Also interesting is the amount of time that readers spend with
The Evepm' g News each day (Tables 23 and 24). People still seem to

find a sizable amount of time for the newspaper habit.

 

3zBogart, 294-295.

55

Table 2 3

Subscribers' interest in types of news stories, by category,

on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high.
Also, average rating achieved by each category of news

 

Interest level 1 2 3 4 5 Ave.
Obituaries 3% 10% 15% 20% 52% 4. 1
Letters to ed. 5 8 16 25 46 4.0
National 3 8 18 3 5 3 6 3.9
Health 5 7 27 29 3 2 3.8
Police 5 9 22 27 3 7 3.8
Schools 7 9 2 2 24 3 8 3.8
Govt. announce. 3 7 25 3 2 33 3.8
Comm. activity 3 10 24 32 3 1 3.8
State news 2 7 3 1 39 2 1 3.7
Science, envir. 5 9 28 30 2 8 3.7
Local govt. 7 10 26 29 28 3.6
International 4 1 1 30 30 25 3.6
Weddings 8 1 2 22 23 3 5 3.6
Editorials 6 9 28 29 2 8 3.6
Local opinion 7 12 28 28 25 3.5
Business 3 13 3 2 3 2 20 3.5
Consumer 5 14 30 27 24 3.5
County govt. 7 1 2 30 27 24 3.5
Weather 12 9 28 16 35 3.5
Entertainment 8 13 30 26 23 3.4
Syndicated op. 8 20 29 25 1 8 3.2
HS. sports 17 14 23 22 24 3.2
Pro sports 22 21 21 15 21 2.9
College sports 23 23 24 16 14 2.8
Rec. sports 22 20 26 18 14 2.8
Farm 2 1 28 23 15 13 2.7
Clubs 25 26 25 14 10 2.6
N = 400

56

Table 24

Subscribers' demand for coverage of news, sorted by type,
expressed as a desire to see more, less or the same coverage
as compared with what is currently provided

 

Demand More Less Same
Health 43% 2% 55%
School news 40 1 5 9
Letters to editor 39 2 59
Consumer, how-to 37 4 59
Science, environment 3 6 3 6 1
Govt. announcements 3 5 2 63
Local government 2 8 3 69
National 27 4 69
Community activities 25 1 74
State 25 1 74
County government 25 4 7 1
High school sports 24 5 7 1
Business 24 2 74
International news 23 4 73
Local columnists 23 5 72
Weather 2 2 4 74
Entertainment 2 1 3 76
Professional sports 20 10 70
Editorials 19 2 79
Police, courts 17 9 74
Recreation sports 1 6 7 7 7
College sports 16 10 74
Farm 1 1 10 79
Clubs 10 10 80
Weddings, births 8 1 9 1
Obituaries 4 2 94

N=4OO

57

Table 2 5

Rankings for news stories, by type, when subscribers' interest
and subscribers' demand are combined

Type of story

Health

Letters to editor
School news

Science, environment
Govt. announcements
Consumer, how-to
National

Local government
Community activities
State

County government
Business
International

Local columnists
Weather

High school sports
Entertainment
Editorials

Police, courts
Professional sports
Recreational sports
College sports

Farm

Weddings, births
Clubs

Obituaries

NNNNNNNHHHHHHHHHH
M$WNHHO©mN®M&WNHO©m\l®mAwNHg
no

 

CONCLUSIONS

The responses shown in Table 1 are revealing in that they
show how little people use The Evening News as a source for national
and world news, even though a great deal of that news is presented
in The Evening News each day. For decades, Page One has swung like
a pendulum between being a showcase for local news and being first
and foremost a place for the "bigger" stories that move on the
Associated Press wire. Once the thought was that no local story could
run above the fold. Then the thought was to start (and jump) several
local stories each day, while still leaving lots of room for wire copy.
There were years when virtually no local photograph ever made in
onto Page One, and, more recently, most of the Page One photos have
been local. Currently, the goal is to strike a balance between local
and wire copy, but Page One always has at least a couple of local
stories, including features and news analysis, not just fatal accidents
and election returns.

58

59
The philosophy behind the heavy dose of wire news on Page

One, and throughout the paper, has been that earlier studies have
shown that most Evening News subscribers get no other newspaper.
Many do subscribe to The (Teledo, Ohio) Blade, The Ann Arbor News
or one of the two Detroit dailies, but most do not. If The Evening
New is the only paper in the home, the theory has gone, it needs to
have all the major news stories of the day, not merely the local ones.
Traditional news judgment often has put "important" world and
national news ahead of local news on the premise that it's a rare day
that the Monroe County Board of Commissioners or the Monroe City
Council does something of greater significance the United Nations or
the US. Congress. Readers disagree, if this survey is any indication.
The Evening News and, perhaps, other newspapers are missing a
tremendous opportunity to increase their readership. Historically,
newspapers have striven to give people news they need, but that
concept has been defined rather narrowly. Readers need to know
about tax millages, they need to know about street closings, they
need to know about burglaries in their neighborhoods. But is that
all they need to know? Not at all, according to this survey

What is it that they want to know how to do? The answers
were fleshed out in another survey question:

* People rely on various kinds of information to help
them deal with the everyday concerns of their lives. Please
tell me, in your own words, what kinds of information you
wish you had more of.

They did.

60
While no statistical qualitative analysis has been done on the

responses, some of the more representative comments were:

"Articles on home issues, saving money, home hints, cleaning
and shopping. Hints from Heloise."

"The Better Business Bureau offers some how-to's for people.
Would like to see more. Also, more coverage of protection from
scams."

"Consumer stories, environmental, national and international,
health."

"Stories for elderly people and people on disabilities, (stories
that) help them take advantage of what's available. More in-depth
on police items."

"Horoscopes."

"More consumer-type things. All around -- health care, home
and garden."

"More how-to. With the economy like it is, people tend to do
more themselves around home."

"More how-to's, household tips, etc."

"More personal, self-irnprovement, tips on handling stress."

Many comments on health coverage could be considered a plea
for more consumer and how-to stories, such as:

"More health information, more information and updates on
diseases, things that would affect my kids, like AIDS."

"More health stuff, recipes."

"More news on health and healthier lifestyles."

6 1
Clearly, life is tough. These readers seem eager to get any

information that will make their lives easier, help them save money,
save time, live healthier, be happier.

There was no question on the survey about satisfaction with
The Evew’ g New' Sunday edition. Despite its rocky start with
subscribers who didn't like being forced to pay $1 for it, the Sunday
paper seems to have become a part of The Evening News habit. The
staff puts a great deal of effort into the edition and, more than three
years after its debut, still has the kind of pride that a parent
reserves for an offspring.

The readers, apparently, have a different view. Even without
any question on the survey about the Sunday edition, 53 of the 400
subscribers took the opportunity to vent their anger about The
Monroe Sunday News. Some still are furious that they were forced to
take the Sunday paper -- at the higher subscription rate -- if they
wanted to keep their weekly editions. Some say they just don't like
the paper. One reason many do not want it is that it has virtually no
coupons; unlike some of the larger metropolitan daily newspapers, it
does not pay for itself.

Here is a sampling of the remarks on the Sunday paper:

"I got really mad the first time you came out with the Sunday
paper and shoved the Sunday on us. They save some of the (weekly)
news to put in on Sunday."

"Disappointed in the Sunday paper. Too thin, kind of bland.
Section A is too thin. I would rather just go back to the daily."

"I do not like the Sunday paper. A waste of time and money."

 

62
"I really don't like to have to buy the Sunday paper. I read it

but don't like to have to buy it. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't. I get
The Blade on Sunday and the coupons pay the price."

"Sunday paper is a big disappointment."

"What I don't like is that you we to take the Sunday paper.
The Blade doesn't make you. That is what has turned me off a little
on the Monroe paper."

"Your Sunday paper is a farce. There's nothing in it. You can
discontinue it. I think you're doing the people of Monroe County an
injustice. A lot of people have stopped the paper because they hate
that Sunday paper. If you're holding half the news until Sunday,
forget it. You shouldn't have to take it to get the daily."

Yet, the survey indicated that people read the Sunday paper.
On average, they spend 10 minutes longer with it than they do with
the daily paper (Tables 21 and 22). And there were a few positive
comments about the Sunday paper, like these:

"I'm glad we have the Sunday paper now."

"I used to hate your Sunday paper. Now I'm used to it. I'm
dropping The Free Press."

"I like the Sunday paper."

In examining both the open questions and the interest and
demand rankings (Tables 23, 24 and 25), Evening News subscribers
appear similar to those surveyed by other researchers. The
advancing age of newspaper readers has been well documented
throughout the industry, and other studies have pointed out reader

interest areas that are like those found in the Monroe area.

63
For instance, local and state news have ranked high in the

Bogart studies, as have stories about crime, education, health and
entertainment. In seeking news about theses subjects, Evening News
readers are not unique.

Limitations of Qe survey

Though this survey offers some insights to subscribers of fire
Evening News, it has some limitations.

Perhaps the greatest limitations are those that have been
discussed previously, the imbalance in both the age of the
respondents and in the sex of respondents. It is difficult to
determine whether these imbalances were the results of a truly
disproportionate readership or merely an indication of who was
home answering the phone when we called. It is possible that we
interviewed more women and senior citizens simply because they
were available. Any further study should include a greater effort to
balance these groups.

Another survey might also put greater emphasis on younger
readers, who were under-represented here but are important to any
newspaper's future.

In retrospect, the survey probably should have been delayed
until after the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The holiday seemed
to have a negative impact on people's willingness to participate, as
well as in the surveyors' success in reaching people at home. The
author underestimated the effect that the holiday would have,
though postponing the survey had been considered. One factor was
that postponing the survey would push it into June, and the
beginning of vacation season.

64
The survey included only home subscribers, not other readers.

Those who buy the newspaper occasionally, or even every day, from
vending racks or comer stores were excluded. Because they decide
each day whether or not to buy the newspaper, their opinions might
have been of significant value.

Perhaps the non-surveyed group that could have provided the
most valuable information is the 3,500 or so subscribers who have
abandoned The Evening New over the last four years. Though
including those people would have changed the complexion of the
survey substantially, perhaps some work should have been done in
this area. For the future, it might be valuable for the circulation
department to follow up on all cancellations, calling or sending
postcards to "quits," asking them why they gave up the newspaper.
Some of this is done already, but perhaps the findings should be
compiled and shared with the editorial staff.

While the survey was so lengthy that it at times tried the
subscribers' patience, it was not exhaustive in terms of information
gathering. Several categories that were not included probably should
have been, such as questions about interest in religious news and

local politics.

CHAPTER 6
RECOMMENDATIONS

The results of this survey stand to reaffirm many of the
editorial decisions that have been made at The Evening News.
Without a doubt, the results show that readers like the newspaper
and share many of the same priorities as the news staff. Still, the
survey points out quite a few ways in which The Evening News could
improve its product, boost readership, and, possibly gain revenues
through increased circulation and the advertising income that could
follow.

Any time news coverage is changed to benefit certain readers,
a newspaper risks losing others. However, using the survey results
as a springboard, changes could be justified in the following areas:
Local news emphasis

The numbers show that The Evening News is its readers
primary source of information about local and state government. but
that most readers get their national and international news from
television. At best, it seems that they read Evening News stories on
world and international events as background to what they've seen

on television.

65

66
As the news hole shrinks with reduced advertising, and push

literally does come to shove between local news and all the wire
reports, perhaps local news should get a higher priority. Core local
news stories, such as those about local units of government and
crimes, should get preference in the day's planning meetings and
receive greater consideration for Page One play. Perhaps the bigger
question, however, and one which is not answered here, is what
types of local government news peOple want and how stories should
be covered.

The Evening News is strongest among those who are interested
in the community it covers. With this heavy interest in local news,
The Evening News is in a prime position to exploit the cyclical
relationship among readers, their community and their newspaper.
The better the newspaper covers its community, the more its readers
will rely on it to do so, the more readers will become interested in
the community, and the cycle will continue.

State news emphasis

State news also should get a bit more emphasis, perhaps taking
a position that is equal to or even greater than that of the lesser-read
national and world stories. Currently, state wire reports often are
relegated to the second section to make room for "more important"
stories from national wire. Perhaps that should be rethought, and
state news moved forward.

The Evening News could take a more active role in covering
state issues. While its size and budget keep it from being a "state

newspaper" like some of the larger metros, the paper could improve

67
its coverage of state legislation, focusing particularly on how events

would affect Monroe County.
Mere pm’ ely stpries

Quite a few readers commented that The Evening News seems
to be late with the news. This observation seemed to stem from the
readers seeing the same or similar stories in the morning Free Press.
Some also seemed to come from astute observation of the number of
stories that are held everyday. It is not unusual for a meeting follow
to run three or four days after the meeting, even if the story was
written the following morning. In days of tight news holes, it is
difficult to fit all the day's news into every edition, but some
improvement may be in order. With better planning, both in terms
of story assignments and page layouts, some of this possibly could be
avoided.
Fpllpw-pp stories

Some of the "open-ended" questions evoked comments about
readers "losing track" of stories. Something is reported, then that's it.
Several asked for more follow-up stories, possibly in the form of

human interest stories on victims of crimes that were reported in the

newspaper.
Mpre th-tp steries

The survey points out a definite demand for more consumer
and how-to stories, including those on health-related tOpics. Other
categories that had significant "more" ratings (Table 24) include
science and the environment, and road closings and other
govemment-type announcements. like consumer and how-to

stories, these, too, could be described as "news-you-can-use."

68
Health tips, consumer tips, recipes, household tips and fix-it

advice all are the types of stories that readers are requesting, yet
they are not difficult stories to produce. The US. Government and a
variety of consumer agencies have storehouses of information on
such topics, and local experts, from the health department director to
the Cooperative Extension Service home economist, always are ready
to share their knowledge.

The Evening News should make consumer stories a part of its
routine coverage plans and, if possible, assign reporters to consider
such stories part of their "beats."

This might have the added benefit of attracting younger
readers, who aren't yet interested in government and other "hard"
news, but might be interested in a story that told them how to save
money on clothing or care for a car.

Strive for a younger audience

Evening News readership is dying -- literally. As the
circulation base ages, it is not being replaced with a like number of
young readers.

A number of ideas are being tried throughout the United States
to boost readership among young people. Some, including a
Children's Page, have been tried at The Evening News with varying
success. Most recently, the newspaper has sponsored a Boy Scouts Of
America Journalism Explorer Post, a group of teen-agers interested in
careers in journalism. Plans are for this group to write some stories
about teen issues in the community.

Because readership among teen-agers is sporadic, at best,

perhaps the best way to lure teen readers is to offer stories they are

69
interested in on a regular basis. A weekly teen page, not unlike The

Free Press' "Freep" page, might give teens something to look forward
to each week in the paper, while getting them to at least scan it on
other days. Perhaps using the Explorers as a start, The Evening News
could develop such a youth page with teen writers.

For some time, The Evening New has discussed the merits of
Newspapers In Education programs. It should seriously consider
getting involved in such a program.

One of the readers interviewed for this survey identified
herself as a teacher and said she was interested in obtaining copies
of The Evening New early enough in the day (and for free) so that
she could distribute them to her students for current events
discussions. The newspaper has much to gain through such an
endeavor.

Another way to reach young people is through an informal
" speaker's bureau." Reporters, editors and others who have spoken
with area high school classes (and younger grades) have come away
with a sense that they have built relationships. Students need to
hear how newspapers work and reporters need to hear what is on
the minds of teens. Through just a little promotion, the staff easily
could help boost interest among young people.

Bi r rin

Now that this survey has identified that a third of The E er_n_p' g
Ngygs' readership is 60 or over, maybe there needs to be more
attention paid to whether or not those people truly can read -- or see
-- the newspaper. Several people commented that they would like

bigger type in the newspaper. The crossword puzzle was singled out

70
for mention. The mening New has made strides toward improving

readability by typeface changes, but perhaps more needs to be done.
The crossword puzzle, the television listings, the community
calendar, the classified advertisements and many of the sports
standings are especially difficult to read.

Again, there is a trade-off. Bigger type will shrink the news
hole further. Perhaps one way to start (or compromise) would be to
increase the type on the "Over 50" page and reduce the use of tiny
type for things such as crossword puzzles and sports scores.

E_xpand listings of upcoming events

Community activities received the second-highest overall
interest rating (3.8) , tied with school news and government
announcements. Yet, at The Evening News, reporting on community
activities is bound by longstanding rules that seem to have little
current meaning. The "Bulletin Board," for example, the daily
Community Page listing of upcoming public activities, highlight each
event one time only. Events also are listed in small type in the "For
Everyone" calendar, usually for a day or two. The thinking, logically,
is that there is not enough room on the Community Page for events
to be mentioned more than one day in the Bulletin Board. It makes
sense -- to everyone but the reader.

Several readers pointed out a need to read about more
community events before they happen. While the newspaper Often
publicizes big events with photographs and big stories after they are
over, the events usually get only small listings before they occur.
With the hectic pace of many people's lives today, that might not be
enough. Perhaps the paper could consider expanding its policies with

7 1
regard to how many times an event can be listed in the calendar or

Bulletin Board, listing major events several times. Space on the
Community Page could be stolen from club news, which takes up a
disproportionate amount of space, especially considering the low
interest level rating it received in the survey.

Club news primarily serves the clubs. Perhaps less could be
reported on club meetings after they happen, leaving more room for
advance notices. It hardly seems right that a club can get by with an
8-inch "folo" when local government stories (of high interest) often
are cut to 4 or 6 inches.

Consider enterptainment as news

Redefine the word "news" as anything that people are doing. If
everyone is talking about Batman, just maybe that's news, whether
crusty city hall reporters think so or not.

Turn a negative into a positive. If television is giving
newspapers too much competition, newspapers should write about
television. Stories on television programs and TV celebrities can
draw readers who are " tuning out" newspapers.

Keep working en coupons

Coupons mean a great deal to readers, and to circulation.
Though the big coupon advertisers don't like to bother with "small"
newspapers, The Eveprp' g New should continue to work on the
problem, perhaps providing discounted ad rates for 'coupon' type
ads.

Remember the Raisin - and the Sunday paper

Hindsight is 20/ 20, and from the view in 1992, many at me

Evening News wish that the introduction of the Sunday paper, and

7 2
the companion rate hike, could have been handled differently. But,

at this point, the paper needs to go forward. lingering resentrnents
aside, the Sunday paper is a strong news product that draws
advertisers. The Sunday paper consistently is larger than the daily
(roughly 36 pages rather than about 20), even though readers may
perceive it as "thin" because it is substantially smaller than the
Toledo or Detroit Sunday papers.

The circulation department has become much more customer
service oriented in the past few years and has seen the results in
circulation that is growing steadily, although slowly. The paper is
regaining readers lost after the Sunday paper.

For the future, perhaps the best use of the Sunday paper
experience is as a lesson in marketing. It will be remembered as a
bloody battle, but one which was pivotal in the war.

Eleegonic news

The raw data seems to indicate that there is very little market
for electronic transmission of news and information. But that can be
deceiving. Closer examination reveals an emerging trend toward
computer use among those of middle age, people who likely will be
The Evening N ews' main circulation base in the coming years.

Despite the expressed hesitancy toward using electronic media,
it might be wise for The Evening News to offer some form of
electronic information as a way of building toward the future. In a
sense, the newspaper has been offering this service for years, by
inviting readers to call in for election results and by permitting

staffers to give out sports results on Friday and Saturday nights.

7 3
Through these means, some readers already have been using

electronic means (their telephones) to access newspaper information.

Perhaps the logical first step is for The Evening News to offer
election returns and weekend local Sports scores via push-button
telephone connection. That would prove as a test market for true
reader interest, as opposed to their predicted interest, and even
could be used to determine whether local advertisers are willing to
"sponsor" electronic forms of news. The Friday night high school
football scores could be "brought to you" by Monroe Bank & Trust,
for instance.

A second foray into electronic news dissemination could be
running Evening News classifieds, again with advertising sponsors, on
local cable television stations. This is the type of electronic service
readers most desired by readers, according to the survey. It also
might be desired by cable operators who, facing reregulation, may
want to do more in the way of local access public service.

Invite the reader in

With the help of this survey, hopefully Evening New staffers
will be better able to think in terms of the reader when planning
each day's news coverage. The reader profile, as well as the interest
tables, were planned as a way to "invite" the reader into the morning
editors' meetings. Focus groups and reader advisory boards could
help do the same thing.

A successful newspaper needs to try to satisfy most of its
readers, but perhaps another overall conclusion can be drawn from
the survey based on the following tidbits from its responses:

"The Sunday paper has too much advertising."

74
"The editorials are too biased."

"The paper is a little opinionated. Too liberal."

"It has become much more conservative thinking...l've told that
to many people."

"I have a gripe against the editor about Japanese trade. I think
he has Japanese blood running through his veins."

"1 like the Hi-Iite ad. I go through that three or four times."

"I'd like more news about Lawrence Welk and less about the
girl who wants to go topless."

The conclusion: You can't please 'em all.

.. 3O --

75

 

 

 

 

 

1233122.;
SURVEY
Date Result (Cemplete, ne ans., msg.) Initials
Call #1 __
Call #2 __
Call #3 _
Name (from circulation listing)
Address (from circulation)

 

Hello, this is (your name) from The Monroe Evening News. Because
you are a valued Evening News subscriber, we are interested in your
opinions on our news coverage. Would you please take about 10
minutes to answer some questions for me? (If answer is no, ask if
we could call back at a more convenient time. When?)

Section 1

I'm going to list several different types of news stories. On a scale of
1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high, please tell me how
interested you are in each category of news. Then tell me whether
you think The Evening News should provide more coverage of the
subject, less coverage, or about the same coverage as we currently
provide.

How interested? Coverage should be:
Weather new 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
County govt. 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Your schools 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Clubs 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Govt. meetings in 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same

your city, township

or village

Road closings, 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
recycling schedules

and other govt.

announcements

 

 

1;?

A“ r
g

\l
0‘

National news 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Obituaries 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Community activities 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Pro. sports 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
College sports 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
H. S. sports 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Rec. sports 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
lnt.'l news 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Weddings, births 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Entertainment (TV, 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
music, celebrities)

Police and court 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Letters to ed. 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Local opinion 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
columnists

Syndicated opinion 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
columnists

Editorials 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Farm news 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Local business news 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
State news 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Consumer and how-to 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Health news 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same
Science and 1 2 3 4 5 More Less Same

environmental news

Again on a scale of 1 to 5 , please rate your overall satisfaction with
The Monroe Evening News;

12345

People rely on various kinds of information to help them deal with
the everyday concerns of their lives. Please tell me, in your own
words, what kinds of information you wish you had more of.

 

 

 

 

 

77
m;

Many people get their news from more than one source, such as from
television, radio, Monrgg Evening News, Monroe Guardian, Toledo

B_lage, Wm, mttQit Frg Press and word of mouth.

Where do you get most of your information about international
news?

Television
Radio
Monroe Evening News
Monroe Guardian
Toledo Blade
Detroit News .—

Detroit Free Press _.
Word of mouth
Other

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where do you get most of your information about national news?

Television __

Radio __

Monroe Evening News
Monroe Guardian
Toledo Blade
Detroit News
Detroit Free Press
Word of mouth
Other

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where do you get most of your information about state news?

Television
Radio
Monroe Evening News __
Monroe Guardian __

Toledo Blade
Detroit News
Detroit Free Press
Word of mouth
Other

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

78
Where do you get most of your information about local news events?

Television
Radio
Monroe Evening News
Monroe Guardian
Toledo Blade
Detroit News
Detroit Free Press
Word of mouth
Other

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 3

Some newspapers are making their news and information available

to the public in new forms, such as by telephone, computer or cable

television. If the following information were available through such
services, how likely would you be to use it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up-to-date Very Likely Not Unsure

sports score likely likelL

Weather Very Likely Not Unsure
likely likely

Stock prices Very Likely Not Unsure
likelL likely

Horoscopes, Very Likely Not Unsure

soap opera likely likely

updates

World, Very Likely Not Unsure

national, likely likely

state news

Local news, Very Likely Not Unsure

such as likely likely

election

returns

Community Very Likely Not Unsure

events likely likely

calendar

79

Additional Very Likely Not Unsure
info. on sale likely likely

items

advertised

in Evening

news

Classified Very Likely Not Unsure
ads such as likely likely

those for

autos,

homes or

help wanted

 

If you were to use these services, would you prefer to do 50:
Through your push-button telephone (recorded info.) __
On a cable television channel

Do you use a home computer?

 

 

(If yes), would you like to use these services through telephone

link to your home computer? __

Is there some other type of news or information you'd like to receive

by telephone, computer or cable? If so, what?

 

 

80
Seep'pn 4

On average, how much time do you spend reading The Evening News
each weekday?

less than 10 minutes __ 40-50 minutes __

10-20 minutes 50—60 minutes

 

 

20-30 minutes more than 60 minutes

 

 

30-40 minutes

 

On average, how much time do you spend reading The Evening News
on Sunday?

less than 10 minutes 40-50 minutes

 

 

10-20 minutes 50-60 minutes

 

 

20-30 minutes more than 60 minutes

 

 

30-40 minutes _

 

How many people in your household read your Evem‘ g New? __

Would you mind telling me your age?

18-20 __ 41-45 __

2 1-25 __ 46-50 __

26-30 __ 5 1-60 ____..._

31-35 __ 61-65 __

36-40 __ 66 and Older __
Male Female

 

 

81

How long have you lived in this community?

 

 

 

0-5 years 16-20 years
6-10 years __ 21-30 years _
1 1-15 years 3 1 years or more

 

 

How much education have you completed?

 

Grade school __ Some college

Some high school __ 2-year degree _
High school __ 4-year degree __
Trade school _ Graduate school _

(master's, Ph.D., MD, JD, etc.)

Would you please tell me your approximate household income? 15 it:

Under $10,000 a year __ $41,000 - $50,000 __
$11,000 - $20,000 __ $51,000 - $60,000 .—
$21,000 - $30,000 __ $61,000 - $70,000 __
$31,000 - $40,000 __ $71,000 and up __

No answer——

Is there anything else you would like to say?

 

 

 

Thank you very much for your time.

[lv‘nlo

82
APPENDIX 2

DEFINITIONS OF SURVEY TERMS

Weather news — forecasts, stories on flooding, drought,
snowstorms, etc.

County government - Monroe County Board of Commissioners,
county agencies such as road commission, drain commission,
sherist department

Your schools - School board meetings, activities of public schools
in your community

Clubs — Organizations such as J aycees, Kiwanis, Altrusa, garden
clubs, women's groups, etc.

Government meetings - City council, township board, village
council meetings

National news - News from around the nation, such as fires,
crime, national elections, other political events, Congress, US.
Supreme Court, etc.

Obituaries - Deaths of local people

Community activities - Festivals, fish dinners, craft shows, fund
raisers, plays, speeches, etc.

Recreation sports — Community sports such as men's and
women's and youth volleyball, softball, bowling

International news - World social and political happenings,
government of foreign countries, terrorism, natural disasters

Police and court news - Local police reports, arrests, actions

taken in local circuit and district courts

‘-I -.I..II'I -1 d V_I

83
Letters to the editor — Letters written by readers and published

on the editorial page.

Local columnists — Opinion columns written by Monroe Evening
News staff members such as Editor Steve Gray, Sports Editor
Ron Montri, others

Syndicated columnists - Commentary written by national
columnists such as Ellen Goodman, William Rusher, Andy
Rooney, Dear Abby

Editorials — The newspaper's commentary on local, state, national
and international events

Farm news — Crop prices, effects of weather on farmers, etc.

Local business news - Openings and closings of local businesses,
management promotions, retirements, stories on what various
businesses produce, trends, etc.

State news - News from throughout Michigan, including political
events, state government, stores about people and events in
other communities in the state.

Consumer and how-to — Stories that give consumers information
to help them make decisions or that tell you how to do things
such as save money, buy a house, raise children, repair a car,
etc.

Health - Medical news, information about nutrition, exercise, ways
to keep healthy.

Science/ environment - News about scientific discoveries and

environmental issues such as pollution and its effects.

'l

 

 

W

Bagby, Mary Alice. "Transforming Newspapers for Readers."
Pgsstjpre, April 1991, 18-25.

Bogart, Leo. Press ang Publie: Who Reads What, When, Where, and
Why in Ameriew Newspapers. Hillsdale, N.J.: Iawrence

Case, Tony. "Hardships in Common." Editor & Publishg, Nov. 9, 1991,

3 1 .
Chart, The ASNE Bflew,‘ Jan. 1983, 3. Source cited: Batter a

flblisher (newspaper circulation) and US. Bureau of Census,
Cment Pepulatien Repor_t. series D-25, Nos. 802, 1006 and
101 1 (population).

Chart, The ASNE Bfletin, Jan. 1989, 4. Source cited: Editor &
Publisher (newspaper circulation) and Newspaper Advertising
Bureau (households).

Chart, The ASNE Bulleart' Jan. 1989, 4. Source cited: Newspaper
Advertising Bureau Inc., Economic and Media Analysis
Unit/ Research Department.

Clark, Robert P. "Greed is Dangerous." The ASNE Bulletin July/ August
1990, 26.

 

Danielson, Wayne A., Dominic L lasorsa and Dae S. Irn. "Journalists
and Novelists: A Study of Diverging Styles." Jomatism
Qparterly, Summer 1992, 436-446.

84

85

Davis, Nancy M. "Three Trends Pose Peril for Publishers." Presstime,
April 1991, 10-12.

"Former USA Tpgy publisher says papers must change or fail."
Associated Press wire story. Dateline: Washington, D.C., June 1 1,
1991.

Johnson, Nan. "Editors Should Savor 'Chicken Dinner' News." The ASNE
Met-ta, February 1989, 28.

Keys to Our Survival. Washington, D.C.: American Society of
Newspaper Editors, 1990.

lacy, Stephen and Frederick Fico. "The link Between Newspaper

Content Quality & Circulation." Newspaper Research loumal,
Spring 1991, 46-57.

Louv, Richard. "Extra! Extra' Tell Me All About It! " Christian Science
Menitor, June 27, 1991, 9.

McAdams, Katherine C. "Easy-to-Read Writing 15 Not Enough To
Attract Readers." The ASNE Bpflew' , March 1991, 26-28.

"Monroe County Population and land Use Statistics," figures from US.
Census Bureau, provided by Monroe County (Michigan)
Planning Department.

Nelson, W. Dale. "little Papers Score Big." The anLl' , July/ August
1991, 26-27.

O'Mara, Richard. "The Flight From Newspapers." 3%, March
1990, 34-37.

Otto, Jean. "Reaching Out to Readers: A Mutual Survival Policy."
Presstime, July 1991, 47.

Pember, Don R. Mass Mfla‘ in Ameriea. Chicago: Science Research
Associates, Inc., 1987.

Rosen, Jay. "Newspapers' Future Depends on Shaping Trends in How
People live." The ASNE Bfletin, December 1989, 15-19.

86

Shaw, Eugene F. and lisa Fortini-Campbell. "Newspaper Reading in
Small Towns." ANPA News Research Report No. 12, June 9,
1978.

Stamm, Keith Rd. Newspaper Use and Communig Ties: Toward a
W. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Corporation,

1985.

Woodhull, Nancy. "Do We Simply Need Better Newspapers, or
Something Totally Different," The ASNE Bulletin. January 1989,
7.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIES