Roy Morgan Research
December 12, 2016

Australian Community Newspaper Readership results

Topic: Press Release, Readership Surveys
Finding No: 7089

Readership of Community Newspapers in all mainland capital cities has declined, but many titles are bucking the trend and finding new local readers, the latest Roy Morgan Community Newspaper Readership results for the 24 months to September 2016 show.

In Sydney, the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader extended its lead as the most-read community paper, with 220,000 readers per average issue (up 15.8% compared with the period to September 2015). Other titles with growing readership include the Bankstown-Canterbury Torch (up 8.2% to 92,000), the Penrith Press (up 21.0% to 75,000), Northern District Times (up 11.3% to 69,000), and the Mosman Daily (up 5.8% to 55,000).

Two other mastheads continue to reach over 100,000 locals per average edition—across multiple editions each week. The Wednesday and Friday issues of the Central Coast’s Express Advocate now average 141,000 readers (down 6.0%), while the Manly Daily finds 128,000 readers on Saturdays (down 5.2%) and 103,000 for its average Tuesday to Friday edition (down 6.4%).

In Melbourne, seven of News Corp’s Leader publications ceased publication in June—but was it perhaps premature for some? Before it closed, the Melton Leader was Melbourne‘s fastest growing Community title (up 47.8% to 34,000). Leader editions in Wyndham and Bayside were also gaining readers on the way to the finish line—although less than their direct local competitors, the Brimbank & Northwest Star Weekly (up 33.3% to 36,000) and Wyndham Star Weekly (up 19.0% to 50,000) from Star News Group and Metro Media Publishing.

Among the remaining Leader titles, growth was strongest for Maribyrnong (up 20.0% to 24,000), Hume (up 6.1% to 52,000), Bayside (up 5.6% to 76,000), Maroondah (up 4.7% to 45,000), Whittlesea (up 3.2% to 65,000) and Moonee Valley (up 2.8% to 36,000). 

In Brisbane, the South-West News, including its specially-badged Springfield News edition, grew 12.5% to 54,000 readers per average weekly issue. The total Pine Rivers Press including North Lakes Times editions also gained readers (up 8.1% to 40,000), as did the Noosa News (up 5.9% to 36,000) and Ipswich Advertiser (up 5.8% to 55,000).

Just dipping below 100,000, Brisbane News remains the most-read Community publication in the area (down 7.5% to 99,000) ahead of Albert & Logan News (down 6.7% to 83,000) and the Southern Star (down 9.2% to 79,000).

In Perth, the stand-out performer over the past year is the Hills/Avon Valley Gazette (up 13.3% to 51,000), with only three other titles making gains: the Perth Voice (up 5.0% to 42,000), the Echo and Sound Telegraph (both up 4.9% to 43,000).

In Adelaide, the combined reach of the many Messengers declined only 1.7% overall, making it the best performing city for Community newspaper readership.  The City North Messengers rose 14.7% to 39,000, ahead of the Northern Messenger (up 10.0% to 88,000) and East Torrens Messenger (up 6.9% to 31,000), largely offsetting the falls across other titles.

Community Newspaper Average Issue Readership – September 2016

2015

24 months to Sept

2016

24 months to Sept

  Readership (‘000) Readership (‘000)
SYDNEY COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS    
Auburn Review 33 28
Blacktown Advocate 70 60
Blacktown Sun 55 46
Blue Mountains Gazette 70 71
Camden-Narellan Advertiser 25 23
Campbelltown Macarthur Advertiser 104 86
Canterbury-Bankstown Express 41 39
Central 17 20
Express Advocate (Central Coast-Wyong/Gosford) (Wed,Fri Av) 150 141
Fairfield Advance 74 71
Fairfield City Champion 75 74
Hawkesbury Courier 24 25
Hawkesbury Gazette 21 28
Hills News 61 63
Hills Shire Times 90 86
Hornsby Advocate 70 64
Inner West Courier (Thu) 56 49
Inner West Courier (Tue) 98 77
Inner West Courier (Tue,Thu Av) 77 63
Liverpool City Champion 83 71
Liverpool Leader 81 74
Macarthur Chronicle 95 85
Manly Daily (Sat) 135 128
Manly Daily (Tue-Fri Av) 110 103
Mosman Daily 52 55
Newcastle & Lake Macquarie Post 38 24
Newcastle Star 68 64
North Shore Times (Wed,Fri Av) 79 80
Northern District Times 62 69
Parramatta Advertiser 101 81
Penrith City Star 33 29
Penrith Press 62 75
Rouse Hill Times 20 18
Southern Courier 90 84
St George & Suth Shire Leader 190 220
St Marys-Mt Druitt Star 33 27
Standard (Mt Druitt-St Marys) 38 28
Sun (Parramatta/Holroyd edns) 25 14
Torch (Bankstown-Canterbury) 85 92
TWT Weekly Times 31 30
Wentworth Courier 97 94
Western Weekender 37 41
Wollondilly Advertiser 26 26
Wollongong Advertiser (incorporating Lake Times) 69 70
TOTAL Sydney Community Publications 2194 2088
     
MELBOURNE COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS    
Bayside Leader 72 76
Berwick Leader (until Jun16) 52 36
Berwick/Pakenham Officer News 43 38
Brimbank & Northwest Star Weekly 27 36
Brimbank Leader (until Jun16) 61 68
Caulfield Glen Eira/Port Phillip Leader 77 70
Cranbourne Leader 29 27
Cranbourne News 19 20
Dandenong Journal 51 49
Diamond Valley Leader 59 49
Echo (Geelong) 30 28
Frankston Standard Leader 82 77
Geelong Independent 75 59
Geelong News (until Jun16) 68 57
Greater Dandenong Leader 60 45
Heidelberg Leader 38 38
Hobsons Bay Leader (until Jun16) 28 28
Hume Leader 49 52
Knox Leader 86 80
Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader 50 49
Manningham Leader 70 58
Maribyrnong & Hobsons Bay Star Weekly 17 19
Maribyrnong Leader 20 24
Maroondah Leader 43 45
Melbourne Leader (until Jun16) 32 22
Melton & Moorabool Star Weekly 23 23
Melton Leader (until Jun16) 23 34
Moonee Valley Leader 35 36
Moorabbin Kingston/Moorabbin Glen Eira Leader 59 53
Mordialloc Chelsea Leader 36 35
Moreland Leader 58 50
Mornington Peninsula Leader 75 67
Mountain Views/Upper Yarra Mail 21 19
Northcote Leader 26 25
Preston Leader 43 42
Progress Leader 60 60
Ranges Trader/Ferntree Gully, Belgrave Mail 17 19
Stonnington Leader 48 46
Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Star Weekly 22 19
Sunbury/Macedon Ranges Leader 38 34
Waverley/Monash Leader 98 83
Whitehorse Leader 84 74
Whittlesea Leader 63 65
Wyndham Star Weekly 42 50
Wyndham/Point Cook Wyndham Leader (until Jun16) 50 56
TOTAL Melbourne Community Publications (incl Geelong titles) 1782 1694
     
BRISBANE COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS    
Albert & Logan News (Thu) 89 83
Bayside and Northern Suburbs Star 51 46
Brisbane News 107 99
Caboolture News 53 54
Caboolture Shire Herald 47 43
City North News 15 11
City South News 24 21
Ipswich Advertiser 52 55
Logan Reporter 28 28
Noosa News (Tue,Fri Av) 34 36
Northside Chronicle 78 72
North-West News 67 64
Redcliffe and Bayside Herald 41 36
Redland City Bulletin (from Oct15)   76
Satellite 39 40
South-East Advertiser 81 68
Southern Star 87 79
TOTAL Pine Rivers Press/North Lakes Times 37 40
TOTAL South-West News/Springfield News 48 54
Westside News 62 62
Wynnum Herald 50 50
TOTAL Brisbane Community Publications 950 928
     
PERTH COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS    
Canning Times 42 40
Comment News 31 28
Eastern Reporter 47 42
Echo 41 43
Fremantle/Cockburn Gazette 59 51
Cockburn Gazette 34 30
Fremantle Gazette 28 24
Guardian Express 27 25
Hills/Avon Valley Gazette 45 51
Mandurah Coastal/Pinjarra Murray Times 33 27
Mandurah Mail 37 32
Melville Times 42 41
Midland/Kalamunda Reporter 42 36
Kalamunda Reporter 22 21
Midland Reporter 22 18
Perth Voice 40 42
Sound Telegraph 41 43
Southern Gazette 41 33
Stirling Times 62 55
TOTAL Examiner Newspapers 59 54
TOTAL Herald Newspapers 89 83
TOTAL Joondalup/Wanneroo/North Coast Times 104 95
TOTAL Joondalup/Wanneroo Times 98 90
Joondalup Times 58 51
Wanneroo Times 51 48
TOTAL Joondalup/Wanneroo/North Coast Weekender 59 45
Joondalup Weekender 36 27
Wanneroo Weekender 21 16
TOTAL Post Newspapers 77 72
Weekend/Kwinana Courier 48 46
Western Suburbs Weekly 52 44
TOTAL Perth Community Publications 783 741
     
ADELAIDE COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS    
City (was City Messenger) 25 23
City North Messenger 34 39
East Torrens Messenger 29 31
Eastern Courier Messenger 64 65
Guardian Messenger 65 60
Leader Messenger 35 34
Mitcham & Hills Messenger 31 27
Northern Messenger 80 88
Portside Messenger 41 38
Southern Times Messenger 88 82
Weekly Times Messenger 72 71
TOTAL Adelaide Community Publications 583 573

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, October 2013 – September 2015 n = 100,866, October 2014 – September 2016 n = 100,913 Australians 14+

Michele Levine – CEO, Roy Morgan Research, says:

Block Quote

“Roy Morgan’s latest Readership results show that these free publications reach over six million Australians a week, and provide an unmatched, localised platform for smaller advertisers in the area—as well as national retailers and banks needing to engage effectively with individual suburban target markets.  

“The Melton Leader was the fastest-growing community newspaper in the country—until News Corp closed the title in June alongside six others in the stable.

Star News Group and Metro Media Publishing look set to benefit from a newfound monopoly among local news audiences in Melton, Brimbank, Wyndham and Hobsons Bay.”

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Margin of Error

The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.

Sample Size Percentage Estimate
40% – 60% 25% or 75% 10% or 90% 5% or 95%
1,000 ±3.0 ±2.7 ±1.9 ±1.3
5,000 ±1.4 ±1.2 ±0.8 ±0.6
7,500 ±1.1 ±1.0 ±0.7 ±0.5
10,000 ±1.0 ±0.9 ±0.6 ±0.4
20,000 ±0.7 ±0.6 ±0.4 ±0.3
50,000 ±0.4 ±0.4 ±0.3 ±0.2

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