survey of 87 metros in the US by media ratings service, The Media Audit (www.themediaaudit.com) has revealed that the percentage of people reading the front section of newspapers has increased from 51.4 per cent in 2000 to 53 per cent in 2005. Of the metros surveyed, there are 16 markets where more than 60 per cent of the people read the front page section regularly, and 19 where less than 50 per cent read the section.

The study also showed that there is a decline in the percentage of people reading the other 11 sections of a daily newspaper. The Media Audit explained that these figures relate to readership only, and are unconnected to the circulation of newspapers. The readership of the weekend Television Guide declined the most, falling from almost 32 per cent to 23 per cent between 2000 and 2005. The decline is attributed to the easy duplication of this section by other media.... more