First Nationwide Audit of Jewish Pubs Completed

By: E&P Staff The Circulation Verification Council has completed the first national audit of Jewish community newspapers in the United States.

The study, released yesterday, found that 75% of the 12,000 readers surveyed said the community papers were their primary source for Jewish news and event information.

The audit looked at the top 39 Jewish publications represented by J Media Group, including The Chicago Jewish News, Westchester (N.Y.) Jewish Chronicle, Dayton (Ohio) Jewish Observer, and The Jewish News of Greater Phoenix. The audit found the papers have a combined circulation of about 700,000 and an average of two readers per copy.

Some other audit highlights: Eighty-two percent of those polled said they would be more likely to buy a kosher product that is advertised in a Jewish publication. More than 66% of Jewish community newspaper readers have an annual household income of $75,000. More than 75% plan to travel on vacation in the next 12 months.

?These locally owned newspapers have long histories in their individual communities,? said Stacy Dellas, group account executive for J Media Group, in a statement. ?But many have never been audited and a national audit and readership study has never been done before ? It's time the marketing industry got an in depth look at how vital and powerful the Jewish market is, nationwide.?

J Media Group represents a network of 100 Jewish community publications and is a subsidiary of Gemstone Communications.