Newspaper Web Sites Struggle To Attract Younger Readers

from the make-it-interactive,-keep-it-local dept

Younger people today simply don't subscribe to paper newspapers. When you grow up with the internet at your fingertips, there just doesn't seem to be a reason to subscribe to a print publication. Newspapers know that the younger generation is going online, but they're having even more trouble getting teens and young adults to visit their websites. The simple stuff that they used to rely on - classifieds, movies and entertainment listings aren't doing the trick. People are just going to sites like eBay and Yahoo to get all that info. However, a few newspapers are starting to figure out what works to attract a younger audience, and it isn't that surprising when you think about it. They're taking the one advantage they have (being local) and combining it with the major advantage of the internet (interactivity). Thus, they're building localized community sites, focused on local events: local sports, local reviews, local dating. The sites that do that well seem to be attracting their fair share of younger surfers.

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