For the third consecutive year, researchers at Northwestern University’s Medill School have surveyed how people in one of America’s most diverse media markets consume local news. The result is a growing body of research that many news leaders now view as a bellwether for national trends. This year’s findings paint a complicated picture: Americans continue to value local journalism, but convincing them to financially support it remains one of the industry’s greatest challenges.
During this episode of E&P Reports, Tim Franklin and Dr. Stephanie Edgerly unpacked the findings of The Third Annual Medill Survey: How the Chicago Area Gets Its News, explaining what three years of consistent audience data reveal about the future of local journalism.
Demand remains strong, but subscriptions remain elusive
One of the survey’s most encouraging findings is that local news continues to play a meaningful role in people’s lives. More than half of respondents said they consume local news every day, while 85% engage with it at least weekly. Yet those encouraging audience numbers stand in stark contrast to consumers’ willingness to financially support local journalism.
Franklin called the decline in paying subscribers one of the industry’s most pressing concerns. “I am concerned that there’s a ceiling in the percentage of households that will pay for local news,” he said, noting that news organizations have increasingly shifted from advertising-driven business models to reader revenue. He pointed to subscription fatigue, with consumers already paying for multiple streaming services, while also acknowledging that the news industry conditioned audiences decades ago to expect online news for free.
Still, Franklin believes there is reason for cautious optimism. Even if only 14% of households are willing to pay, he argued, “you can still build a pretty robust news organization from even a 14% base level” if those subscribers are loyal and engaged.
Edgerly described the numbers as both encouraging and frustrating. “Clearly people see value in local news. Clearly they are inviting it into their daily lives,” she said. But she admitted she was surprised that 61% of respondents now believe no one should have to pay for local news, up from 51% just two years ago. “So what do you do with being a newsroom where clearly people are engaged and see value with local news, but they don’t think people should have to pay for it?”Read more at E&P
