'Colorado Daily' Thrives With Young Readers

By: Lucia Moses Before there were the Chicago "Reds," there was another daily newspaper for young adults. The jury's out on the Windy City's cheeky new spinoffs, but those seeking evidence that people under 40 read daily papers need look no farther than Boulder, Colo.

The Colorado Daily, which flirted with bankruptcy in 2001, is thriving under new ownership that is targeting 18-to-35-year-olds. It was the University of Colorado's student paper until it was kicked off campus in 1972 and became what's believed to be the country's first free daily.

According to 2002 Belden Associates research for the E.W. Scripps Co.'s Daily Camera in Boulder, the Colorado Daily reaches 39% of local adults and 59% of college students, while the Daily Camera reaches 59% and 37% of the same groups, respectively.

To engage young adults, Colorado Daily Publisher Randy Miller is relying on a formula of features, brisk writing, and, yes, news. His paper's target generation isn't just about "drinking and going to concerts," he said. "Obviously, those things are of interest, but we find readers are very interested in news."

Miller, a former vice president at Lee Enterprises Inc. who bought the paper for $2.38 million in a bankruptcy court-approved sale in March 2001, found it thin on ads and focused on local activism. He ended distribution to the university's campuses in other cities and redirected coverage to its Boulder campus and the city, where 18-to-34-year-olds make up 25% of the population. The paper is unaudited, but Miller claims daily distribution of 20,000 copies. He said ad linage increased 37.4% last year, evidence more advertisers are starting to see the value.

Two weeks ago, the Daily split off its features into a second section, which should expand the 28-to-48-page paper by four to six pages each day. Under Miller, it also has expanded its readership beyond college students, said Paul Danish, a Boulder County commissioner who writes a column for the Daily.

A big hurdle for the Chicago papers will come the day they stop distributing free samples -- a test Miller is thankful he doesn't face. "I do think free works much better for 18 to 35," Miller said. "I also think free is becoming much more acceptable as a method of distribution. ... The only ones that aren't comfortable with it are ad agencies."