Local Newspapers Report

Regional and community newspapers are a vital part of Australia’s local ‘DNA’ with each playing a unique role covering community issues and driving local agenda.

Regional and community newspapers enjoy such a strong relationship with Australian readers that they are part of the local ‘DNA’ as among the most trusted sources of information and engagement.

Differences between metro, regional and community newspapers

Our research found that Australians have a clear understanding of the unique roles that the three tiers of newspaper publishing play in their lives and how they meet different needs. While national and large metro newspapers provide their readers with a world view and are seen as the authority on the big picture issues, regional newspaper readers say their newspaper plays the role of a trusted advocate, with its finger on the pulse of local concerns.

Community newspapers, on the other hand, are where readers turn to for information on getting involved in their community and are held strongly in the hearts of readers.

These are among the key findings of the major research project investigating the relationship between Australians and their regional and community newspapers.

For advertisers, these findings provide compelling evidence of the importance of local newspapers for local businesses. It provides many reasons why advertisers should look at using regional and community newspapers as both a supplement and to complement other media in order to reach highly engaged and motivated audiences in singular ways.

Click below for the key findings for community and regional newspapers.

The research was conducted by BrandNavigator and included both qualitative and quantitative components. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 33 regular readers of regional and community newspapers, while for the quantitative study, an online survey was conducted among 965 community newspaper readers and 610 regional newspaper readers.  

September 2012