Younger readers wanted

Younger readers wanted
By PRISCILLA KATHE
Edited by BECKY ATKINSON

Newspapers are targeting a new audience, the younger generation.
“There is still a market for the newspaper, but there is a lot of opportunity to grow in other areas,” said Scot Morrissey publisher of the Athens Banner-Herald.

Morrissey said, in a phone interview, that he now has two types of audiences, and there is money to be made in both. The first audience is the younger generation who if they want news wants to be able to find their news on the computer or on their television. The other is the older generation who likes to get their news on their doorstep every morning.

“Newspapers need to get off their butt,” Morrissey said.

Morrissey believes newspapers must go where the audience is and make the changes that the audience wants.

For years other companies have been advertising and changing with their audience. The newspaper industry just took longer to realize they needed to make a transition.

When newspapers are not afraid to embrace change, they find an audience. When the Athens Banner-Herald started to embrace this, they found there was a huge audience. They now have around 6.3 million page views on their website.

Morrissey believes newspapers have to cater to the reader.

“If I don’t have a tool [to reach them], they don’t come across the bridge to me,” Morrissey said.
The Athens Banner-Herald now has added many additions to their paper along with internet updates and blog topics. They have added sections for entertainment in downtown Athens, Ga., a section for mothers, and others for women.

The Athens Banner Herald is doing a great job attracting more readers, but the younger college students might just be unreachable.

When asked what would make them read the newspaper more the answer was unanimous, it just is not interesting to them.

“If it was more applicable to college students,” Andrew Lacy, a 19-year-old marketing major said.

Kenya Henderson, an 18-year-old exercise and sports management major, said she would watch/read more if the “stuff was not negative.”

Morrissey also explained that the reason a lot of younger people do not read the paper is because they are not paying taxes and mortgages. When they start to have to pay for these things they will care about what is going on with their school district or the change in healthcare.

A college student’s life revolves around classes and grades. Newspapers cover city hall meeting and political affairs. It will just take age to make students interested in these things.
When the age of the students rose the answers changed.

“I get it [news] from my local paper and my world news online everyday,” said Allie Jackson, a 32-year-old magazine major.

Despite this lack of interest among younger students, the print audience has not lost ground, said Morrissey.