Record Audience for Post, News
DENVER (May 8, 2006) - More people are turning to the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post for news, information and advertising messages than at any time in their combined history, according to a new set of audience measurements released today.
The widening scope of the two newspapers total audience highlighted release by the Denver Newspaper Agency of the most recent industry audit of its online performance, in addition to the company's biannual filing of print circulation numbers for the six months ending March 31, 2006.
Three measurements dominated analysis of the new statistical profile of the Agency's Pulitzer Prize-winning newspapers and its family of 14 related web sites:
- Total brand audience for The Post and News has increased nearly 1.9 million, or 33.9%, since the Agency began combined business operations for the two newspapers in 2001.
- Online impressions now count for more than half of all exposures provided by DNA products, and in March 2006 hit an all-time high of 16.5 million. An impression is defined as any opportunity for a reader, viewer, unique visitor or listener to see or hear information or an advertising message in a particular medium.
- Online unique visitors have increased at a rate 16 times faster than the loss of daily print circulation from March 2003 -- when formal industry online auditing began -- through the most recent period of March 2005. March 2006 online traffic hasn't been released yet.
"By following our customers to their information channels of choice, we have increased the size and scope of our total audience beyond that of any media company in Colorado," said Kirk MacDonald, president and CEO of the Agency.
Expressing optimism for future growth, MacDonald said, "History shows that when you have the kind of audience we have developed, advertising growth follows."
MacDonald, who is stepping down the end of this month after six years of leading the Agency, credited the DNA's expansion into a variety of multimedia platforms with helping to grow the company's audience - YourHub.com., replica online editions, pod casting and other innovative products.
Other performance barometers highlighted by the Agency included:
- The size of the total brand audience for The Post and News has increased from 5.4 million in March, 2002, after the Agency's first full year of operation, to more than 7.3 million by March 2006. Total brand audience is defined as the total print audience (including pass-along readership) and total monthly unique visitors to online sites.
- Each online visitor now accesses a DNA site an average of 9.3 times per week, compared to only 6.4 times for the same period last year.
"Industry nay-sayers talk about stemming the tide of lost circulation to the web, and we think that's glass half-empty thinking," said Judd Alvord, senior vice president of circulation. "We see online as a tremendous opportunity to serve more customers and advertisers than ever before."
For the six-month period ending March 31, 2006, the Denver Newspaper Agency reported to the Audit Bureau of Circulations that daily (Monday-Friday) paid copies totaled 510,875 for the two newspapers, 552,098 for the combined Saturday edition and 704,806 for the combined Sunday edition.
Monday through Friday, the two newspapers were deadlocked in circulation. The Post recorded 255,449 copies and the News 255,426.
However, despite a loss of print circulation ranging from 4% to 6.5%, depending on the day of the week, the two newspapers continued to lead major metropolitan markets in combined household penetration, according to an Agency analysis.
For the recent reporting period, combined daily penetration was 42.34 percent, or 2.69 percentage points ahead of Long Island Newsday. Sunday penetration of 55.39% was 9.78 percentage points ahead of the Washington Post.
The Post and News have led all major metropolitan newspapers in household penetration since the inception of the joint operating agreement. Also, for the 8th reporting period in a row, the News and Post also remained among the Top 10 metro newspapers in the country by paid circulation, ranking 8th daily and 7th Sunday.
Alvord said Post and News print losses in "core" home delivery were actually less than experienced by many other major newspapers. He said attempts to maintain core home delivery customers have been part of a determined strategy by the Agency to keep loyal print readers while at the same time expanding its audience reach to a new online audience.
"We believe success lies in balancing the old and the new,." Alvord said.
The Denver Newspaper Agency has published The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News since 2001 under terms of a federally sanctioned joint operating agreement in which the Agency provides all business functions to the two editorially separate newspapers.
Sources: Denver Scarborough Reports, Omniture Website Traffic Reports, 2006 ABC FasFax reports and ABCi online reports.
