ViewPoint
July 2011

Verified Would Like to Welcome...

Reklama Newspaper
Reklama Media Company
Northbrook, IL
Reklama Newspaper is a Russian-language newspaper serving the Chicagoland communities.

The Business Ledger
Paddock Publications, Inc.
Arlington Heights, IL
The Business Ledger is a biweekly tabloid serving the general business news and management information needs for businesses located in DuPage County, Surburban Cook County, Will County and Kane County.

The Sunday Preferred
Freedom Orange County Information
Santa Ana, CA
Freedom Orange County Information publishes newspapers, magazines and interactive Internet sites. Direct mail and commercial print services also represent significant offerings within the product portfolio.

Keep in Touch With Verified via Facebook and Twitter

Verified plans to get more involved with social media and is looking to create a better ongoing dialogue with clients and media buyers. Verified has always valued its long-term relationships and wants to be able to expand into popular realms of communication.

You can now Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter. These tools are just another way to stay current on Verified's updates and announcements. In turn, we want to hear your ideas and listen to what you have to say.

Go to the Verified website and click on the Facebook and Twitter icons at the bottom of the home page!

Mag Bag: 138 Launches, 74 Fold by July 2011

Aspiring publishers have not been deterred by the weak magazine advertising market, judging by the latest figures from MediaFinder.com, which maintains an online database of U.S. and Canadian publications. The total number of new magazines launched in the first half of 2011 came to 138, up 53% from 90 in the first half of 2010.

The number of magazines that closed fell 15% from 87 in the first half of 2010 to 74 in the first half of 2011.

These positive findings included new magazine launches in a variety of categories, with the most new launches coming in the food and regional interest titles, including Gilt Taste and Plum Hamptons. In terms of magazine closings, regional titles again dominated because of shuttered pubs that belong to 944 Media.

The business-to-business category saw 34 new titles launch, including Progressive Cattleman and Converting Quarterly, while just 13 B2B titles ceased publication, including Industrial Wastewater and Texas Construction.

At the current pace, 2011 should see fewer magazine closings than 2010, when a total of 176 folded by the end of the year. The current pace of magazine closings is also well below previous years. In 2008, MediaFinder.com said a total of 525 magazines closed, and 428 folded in 2009. The pace of new launches has also varied significantly, with 335 new magazines launched in 2008, 275 in 2009, and 193 in 2010.

© 2011 MediaPost Communications

Targeting eReaders

The latest consumer research from GfK MRI shows that adult owners of eReaders and tablet computers are also heavy readers of the printed versions of magazines and newspapers. Tablet owners are 66% more likely than the average U.S. adult to be heavy users of printed versions of magazines, while owners of eReaders are 23% more likely to be heavy magazine users.

Owners of these digital devices are also more likely than the average adult to be heavy newspaper readers; Tablet and eReader owners are 54% and 63% more likely than the average U.S. adult, respectively, to be heavy newspaper readers. Not surprisingly, given the connectivity of eReaders and especially tablets, their owners index high for Internet usage. Tablet owners are 79% more likely than the average adult to be a heavy Internet user, while eReader owners are 36% more likely to be a heavy Internet user.

In addition, a gender difference in terms of digital ownership has emerged. The report says that women are 52% more likely than men to own an eReader and men are 24% more likely than women to own a tablet. At the brand level, women are 63% more likely than men to own an Amazon Kindle and twice as likely to own a Barnes & Noble Nook, while men are 16% more likely to own an Apple iPad.

The report suggests that a man's affinity for tablets may be a reflection of the way ownership of technological gadgets with respect to their peers is viewed. For instance, men are much more likely than women to report: "I want others to say 'Wow!' when they see my electronics."

Books are still the medium of choice among eReader owners, with 87% having read a book on their device in the last six months. Magazines and newspapers trailed at 15% and 14%, respectively. The media consumption gap is narrower among owners of tablets. Fifty-seven percent of tablet owners, on average, read a book on their device in the last six months compared to 39% who read a magazine and 41% who read a newspaper.

Personal ownership of tablets and eReaders skyrocketed after the 2010 holiday gift-giving season, says the report. Average ownership of eReaders was 2.3% of the U.S. adult population in the four months prior to Christmas; that rose to 5.1% of adults, on average, in the four months after Christmas. The same growth curve is true for tablets. average tablet ownership in the four months prior to Christmas 2010 was 1.8% of adults; after Christmas, average ownership rose to 3.5% of U.S. adults.

Risa Becker, V.P. Research at GfK MRI, says that this study reinforces the fact that tablets have caught on in a big way for a device that's been in the market for a little more than one year.

Click here for additional information from GfK MRI.

© 2011 MediaPost Communications

Events Calendar

National Federations of Press Women Annual Conference
September 8 – 10, 2011
Council Bluffs, IA
www.nfpw.org

NNA 125th Annual Convention & Trade Show
September 22 – 25, 2011
Albuquerque, NM
www.nnaweb.org

Online Journalism Conference
September 22 – 24, 2011
Boston, MA
www.journalists.org

Society of Professional Journalists Annual Convention
September 25 – 28, 2011
New Orleans, LA
www.spj.org

Niche Digital Conference
September 26 – 28, 2011
Chicago, IL
www.nichedigitalconference.com

OMMA Global New York
September 26 – 27, 2011
New York, NY
www.mediapost.com

Independent Free Papers of America Conference
September 29 – October 1, 2011
Reno, NV
www.ifpa.com

Society of News Design 33rd Annual Workshop & Exhibition
September 29 – October 1, 2011
St. Louis, MO
sndstl.com

If you have an event that you would like to announce, please send your information
to e-newsletter@verifiedaudit.com.

Reader Surveys Increase Ad Sales

Readership surveys are effective tools that can help publishers learn how well they are meeting reader needs, increase advertising and circulation, position their publication in a competitive marketplace and enhance editorial content and design.

A readership survey should be conducted every 2 – 3 years. Shifts in readership patterns, changes in reader demographics and anticipated format or content change all signal a need for research. Customized surveys can be conducted via mail, online or by telephone. An initial survey can also provide a benchmark against which future research is compared.

Circulation X Readers per Copy = Total Readership

In order to calculate total readership, you need to know how many readers there are per copy of your publication. Circulation multiplied by the number of readers per copy equals the total readership of your publication.

• Including yourself, how many people read or look through an issue?

Readers per Copy X Engagement = See Ads / Recall Ads

Once you know the total readership, you need to know your reader's level of engagement. The more engaged they are with your publication, the more likely they will read and recall ads.

• How often do you read an issue?
• How long do you usually spend reading an issue?
• What other publications do you read?

Reader Recall X Buying Potential = Advertiser Sales

Once you've determined the level of engagement of your readers, you need to know their demographics. Reader demographic questions allow you to determine their buying potential.

• What is your age?
• What is your combined household income?
• What is your marital status?
• What is your level of education?
• Do you have children under 18 living at home?
• What are your purchase intentions (dining out, cars, travel, etc.)?

Combining your circulation audit with a reader survey provides actionable information and tells your advertisers your complete audience story. If you would like more information on conducting a reader survey or would like to see a sample survey, please contact Verified at 415-461-6006.

Please send comments and story ideas to e-newsletter@verifiedaudit.com or contact us at:

Verified Audit Circulation
900 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 295
Larkspur, CA 94939-1758
415.461.6006
415.461.6007 fax