U.S. online newspapers’ performance in local markets: A struggle of inter- and intra-media competition
Hsiang Iris Chyi & Seth C. Lewis
Abstract
To portray a realistic picture of the competitive landscape online for local newspapers, this study examined 68 local papers and their performance in both inter- and intra-media competition contexts—i.e., how they competed vis-à-vis their print counterparts and other Web sites for the attention of local audiences. We found that local newspapers’ Web sites reached only 15 percent of local Internet users and that the size of their online readership in the local market was only 23 percent of their print readership. Indeed, newspaper sites trailed Yahoo! News, MSNBC, and AOL News as a source for online news in the great majority of local markets. These findings raise questions about changing dynamics of market power for newspapers in the digital era.
Citation: Chyi, H. I. & Lewis, S. C. (forthcoming). U.S. online newspapers’ performance in local markets: A struggle of inter- and intra-media competition. Newspaper Research Journal.
