Newspaper Association Managers Launch National Newspaper Campaign

By: Press Release | NAM

The Newspaper Association Managers (NAM), an organization of US and Canadian Press Association Managers, decided it’s time to debunk the myths surrounding newspaper readership. Beginning October 6, newspapers across the country will run ads that present the facts. The ads take a light-hearted approach to the issue by featuring a fun piece of trivia about each state, and comparing that to the state’s newspaper readership. Readers will be able to easily see the reach of newspapers in a way that is relevant to their state. Samples of the ads are available at www.nationalnewspaperweek.com/ads. The ads will run in conjunction with National Newspaper Week and is being coordinated by the NAM board of directors.  

The newspaper industry continues to be in the center of the news, from national stories about Jeff Bezos buying the The Washington Post to trade magazines focusing on declining circulation or staff layoffs. Newspapers are certainly in transition, but they’re not alone when it comes to disruptive technologies bringing about change. The banking, automotive and real estate industries, and even other forms of media, including broadcast, are feeling the impact of disruption that is changing the way they conduct business. “It is time to present the real facts about newspaper readership. Newspapers have a bond with their audience in ways like no other medium, and they continue to connect advertisers with their customers every day of the week” said Dean Ridings, President of the Florida Press Association and the NAM director who is coordinating the campaign. “In fact, 131 million Americans read a newspaper in the past week (Scarborough Research 2013 R1) – far more than you would expect given the headlines that so often focus on the bad news affecting newspapers.”  

The campaign will begin the week of October 6 and will continue into next year. Additionally, NAM will supplement the campaign by including trade magazines and industry press.