How Mainers Blend Platforms to Source News

April 10, 2012, 2:39 PM

Betty Angell, Sr. Media Planner/Buyer

Below is a slide from a keynote given by Pew Research Center/Internet and American Life Project Director Lee Rainie at the National Federation of Advanced Information Services Conference (02.26.12) about the way the Internet and mobile connectivity have transformed the worlds of networked individuals. It made me think you would be interested in knowing how Mainers tend to source their news. This information is especially helpful as you consider how to reach your own target audiences.

http://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2012/Feb/NFAIS--New-Normal.aspx

Newspapers - Our weekly newspapers are still a top source for community news and events and are well read. Major dailies, with declining circulations, have generated digital editions of their material to cater to new readership habits and replace this loss of revenue. Given the popularity of the weekly, I think it's a good place for you to consider placing print advertising.

[Interesting aside: Right now nytimes.com is the most popular online news site in New England, except for New Hampshire, which skews to CNN.com]

Television - I believe TV is still king (sound, motion, and emotional attention-getters). It continues to be a top source of local news and, especially, weather. Sports events have very big audiences as well (Go Sox! Go Pats! Go Bruins! Go C’s!). Cable TV owns the political news-seeking audience. All this and more make TV a great place to brand your product or service in the minds of a viewing audience, and tying your ad to time slots around these popular topics is a good goal.

Internet - This is a top source for information, period. News, weather and travel sites/pages are all highly visited. Local weather almost always sees the most traffic on any site that carries it. These are very good places for you to put your digital advertising as they tend to receive higher impression rates and click-thru-rates (CTR).

Radio - Traffic news is big in large cities like Boston, but thankfully, doesn’t take up quite as much air space in Maine. Radio is “theatre of the mind” and listeners tend to be very faithful to two or three stations – they tune in to get local news and weather, and they are loyal to radio personalities and music formats. Radio is a great place for time-sensitive sales messaging and for cost-effectively building all important message frequency. And, like TV, you should aim to place your ads in the more popular time slots, if you can.

Of course, you don't need to figure this out all by yourself. Burgess is here to help you determine the best mix of media based on your budget, your message and your goals. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me.

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