Wednesday, 23 September 2009

NADbank time

Updated 26/09/09 re Calgary Sun
It's NADbank time again, another glimpse at readership trends for newspapers across Canada and the spinning has begun.

Overall, a Financial Post story says print newspaper readership in Canada is "alive and kicking."

It will be a tough spin for the Toronto Sun, with insiders saying the numbers for the tabloid are not good. The Toronto Sun appears to be down 11.4% Monday to Friday; down 3.9% on Saturday and 2.7% on Sunday.

But the positive spins include:

Calgary Sun story: We're Number 1 with readers under 50. With more than 433,000 readers each week, the Calgary Sun and its free daily 24 Hours cast a wider net with print readers 18-to-49 than our competition, according to the latest Newspaper Audience Databank (NADbank) readership survey.

Edmonton Sun story: Thank you, Edmonton! Due to your growing support, Edmonton Sun readership has grown more than any other major paper in the province, according to the Newspaper Audience DataBank (NADbank) survey.

Globe and Mail, A CNW Group press release: NADbank today released its interim Fall 08/Spring 09 readership data which shows The Globe and Mail growing significantly both in-print and online. Weekday newspaper readership is up 8 per cent year-over-year including 36 per cent growth in Vancouver alone. Saturday readership is holding steady. Online readership continues to soar with a readership increase of 21 per cent across the six markets.

Toronto Star, Iain Marlow, business editor: Canada's largest daily newspaper, has increased its dominance as the most-read newspaper and newspaper website in the Greater Toronto Area, despite difficult times for the North American newspaper industry as a whole. The Star's readership in the key "read yesterday" category was up by 4.8 per cent, compared to the same period last year.

Metro Canada: The numbers are in, and we're still No. 1. According to the latest Newspaper Audience Databank (NADbank) results released Wednesday, Metro Canada has reinforced its position as the most-read free daily in the country.

Editor and Publisher: By Mark Fitzgerald in Chicago: More than three-quarters of adults in Canada's biggest markets read a daily newspaper in any one week, according to the latest readership study from NADbank Inc. released Wednesday.

Calgary Herald: Calgary Herald readership is bigger than ever before, according to the latest newspaper industry survey released today.

Posted by Toronto Sun Family at 15:13

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous24 September 2009 at 03:30

    11.4 per cent? Ouch.

    But of course, all the staff reductions, changes and such are going to make the Sun the leading newspaper and online site (with their one guy managing most of it).

    Drink the PKP kool-aid, it's yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous24 September 2009 at 17:08

    I'm sure rewards will be in order for Edmonton in the form of more layoffs.

    Let no good deed go unpunished.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous25 September 2009 at 19:22

    Nadbank numbers (Sept 09) show that the Toronto Sun numbers are down in all categories, including web site viewing, over the past year.

    Example: "read yesterday": 462,200 (Sept 08) -- 474,400 (Mar 09) --- 409,300 (Sept 09).
    Note that the increase for March 09 is almost within the margin of error.

    Numbers also show that Toronto 24 Hours is also down in every category except online viewing. But the slight increase in online viewers is virtually equal to the margin of error of the survey.

    Over the past year in Edmonton (Sept 08 to Sept 09), *every* daily paper has increased its readership, except Edmonton's 24 Hours. This suggests that an external cause is in play, and any readership increase has little to do with any paper.

    Perhaps:
    recession = more unemployed = more job seekers reading the want ads.

    recession = less entertainment spending = more "free time" = why not read a paper

    recession = less money to spend = check the paper for store sales.

    Also, remember that a "newspaper reader" is defined as someone who spends at least one second "looking at" a paper. So, if you just glance at the Sunshine Girl and nothing else, then you are a "newspaper reader."

    Of course, readership does not equal (paid) circulation.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous25 September 2009 at 21:30

    As for the Calgary Herald: "Calgary Herald readership is bigger than ever before, according to the latest newspaper industry survey released today."

    I guess 'down' is the new 'up'. The numbers say:

    Read yesterday: 297,000 (Sept 08) -- 285,700 (Sept 09) = down
    Read Saturday: 281,900 (Sept 08) -- 280,000 (Sept 09) = down
    Read Sunday: 238,200 (Sept 08) -- 229,300 (Sept 09) = down

    However, all of the Herald's numbers, those above and others, pretty much fall within the margin of error. Net result is that this paper made no appreciable gains, if any at all.

    While a few papers really did increase their readership numbers, I suspect several other papers are covered in tire marks due to all the wheel spin.

    "Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous28 September 2009 at 01:47

    As for the Calgary Sun claims: "... With more than 433,000 readers each week, the Calgary Sun and its free daily 24 Hours cast a wider net with print readers 18-to-49 than our competition..."

    The numbers say:

    Calgary Herald -- 539,400 total readers per week including online
    Calgary Sun --- 382,600 total readers per week including online

    Calgary 24 Hours -- it's competition, Metro, has almost double the readership.

    ReplyDelete

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