VITAMEDIAS
Newspaper Groups Test Special Gen Y Editions: Two major newspaper groups have stuck their toe into the water, to test the potential for specially produced publications aimed at Generation Y. A third promises to follow suit next month. In a pair of Midwest experiments, Tribune and Gannett have launched special editions that could serve as a model for similar projects at sister newspapers around the country.
According to Northwestern University’s Media Management Center, the number of daily newspaper readers between 21 to 25 year olds is half of what it was in the early 1970’s. Then, 45% of young people opened one up. In 2002, just one-in-five reads a newspaper everyday. Separate research by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) found that 64% of teenagers read the paper at least once a week. “There is a misconception about young readers of newspapers,” says Tim Kennedy, VP of strategy and development for Tribune. “Newspapers do a very good job of attracting young readers, we just don’t have the frequency that we would like.”