Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, April 2012 – March 2014 n = 99,231, April 2013 – March 2015 n = 99,941 Australians 14+
Australians continue to read their local papers, the latest Roy Morgan Community Newspaper Readership results for the 24 months to March 2015 show.
In Sydney, the hills are alive with the sound of pages turning. Readership of the Hills Shire Times grew 13.2% to 86,000 and the Hornsby Advocate rose 20.6% to 76,000. Also up north, the Manly Daily’s Saturday edition grew 9.9% to 133,000, while its weekday editions held steady with over 100,000 readers per average issue. However the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader remains the most-read community paper in the state, unchanged with an average 194,000 readers per issue. Overall, Sydney’s community paper readership held steady with 2,209,000 people reading local newspapers.
In Melbourne, the Waverley/Oakleigh Monash Leader scored 12.9% growth to 96,000 readers to become the most-read community paper in Victoria. Next door neighbour the Caulfield Glen Eira/Port Phillip Leader also did well, growing 13.4% to 76,000 readers. However last year’s two most-read papers, the Geelong Independent and Geelong News, both shed nearly a fifth of their readers. Net community paper readership in the Melbourne region is overall down 1.4% to 1,867,000.
In Brisbane, the aptly titled Brisbane News is the standout success, growing 25.3% to 109,000 readers, with other good results for the South-East Advertiser (up 21.9% to 78,000) and Southern Star (up 16.2% to 79,000). Smaller publications with double-digit growth include the Bayside & Northern Suburbs Star (up 23.3% to 53,000), Caboolture News (up 17.0% to 55,000), City North News (up 16.7% to 21,000), Ipswich Advertiser (up 14.0% to 49,000) and Caboolture Shire Herald (up 12.5% to 45,000). Single-digit growth for widely read publications including Albert & Logan News, North-West News, and Westside News also helped give the Brisbane region a net gain of 11.9%, or an extra 100,000 readers, to 938,000.
In Perth, good news was harder to come by. The Guardian Express, Perth Voice, and Western Suburbs Weekly each gained 5,000 readers but many others lost ground. Overall, net readership in Perth was hardest hit of all the capitals, down 4.5% to 802,000.
In Adelaide, the many Messengers were a mixed bag. While the Northern Messenger grew 20.6% to 76,000 readers, the Weekly Times Messenger grew 10.9% to 71,000, and the Portside Messenger grew 4.7% to 45,000, all others fell. This drove down the Adelaide region’s net readership 1.2% to 583,000.
|
Community Newspaper Readership:
|
24m to March 2014
|
24m to March 2015
|
|
|
Readership (000s)
|
Readership (000s)
|
|
SYDNEY COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS
|
|
|
|
Auburn Pictorial Review
|
32
|
34
|
|
Blacktown Advocate
|
71
|
68
|
|
Blacktown City Sun
|
56
|
54
|
|
Blue Mountains Gazette
|
62
|
66
|
|
Camden Advertiser
|
25
|
29
|
|
Campbelltown Macarthur Advertiser
|
96
|
102
|
|
Canterbury-Bankstown Express
|
51
|
46
|
|
Central
|
17
|
16
|
|
Express Advocate (Wed,Fri Av)
|
154
|
148
|
|
Fairfield Advance
|
72
|
71
|
|
Fairfield City Champion
|
74
|
74
|
|
Hawkesbury Courier
|
28
|
26
|
|
Hawkesbury Gazette
|
24
|
21
|
|
Hills News
|
71
|
63
|
|
Hills Shire Times
|
76
|
86
|
|
Hornsby Advocate
|
63
|
76
|
|
Inner West Courier (Tue,Thu Av)
|
90
|
83
|
|
Lake Times
|
17
|
23
|
|
Liverpool City Champion
|
83
|
80
|
|
Liverpool Leader
|
80
|
80
|
|
Macarthur Chronicle
|
100
|
98
|
|
Manly Daily (Tue-Fri Av)
|
104
|
104
|
|
Manly Daily (Sat)
|
121
|
133
|
|
Mosman Daily
|
48
|
49
|
|
Newcastle & Lake Macquarie Post
|
50
|
45
|
|
Newcastle Star
|
78
|
67
|
|
North Shore Times (Wed,Fri Av)
|
76
|
82
|
|
Northern Times
|
55
|
53
|
|
Parramatta Advertiser
|
105
|
110
|
|
Penrith City Star
|
43
|
35
|
|
Penrith Press (Tue,Fri Av)
|
61
|
59
|
|
Rouse Hill Times
|
24
|
20
|
|
Southern Courier
|
74
|
83
|
|
Standard (Mt Druitt-St Marys)
|
42
|
36
|
|
St George & Suth Shire Leader (Tue,Thu Av)
|
194
|
194
|
|
St Marys Mt Druitt Star
|
35
|
34
|
|
Sun (Parramatta/Holroyd edns)
|
34
|
29
|
|
Torch (Bankstown-Canterbury)
|
110
|
91
|
|
TWT Weekly Times
|
41
|
32
|
|
Wentworth Courier
|
85
|
90
|
|
Western Weekender
|
35
|
40
|
|
Wollondilly Advertiser
|
16
|
22
|
|
Wollongong Advertiser
|
68
|
69
|
|
SYDNEY REGION TOTAL
|
2,210
|
2,209
|
|
MELBOURNE COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS
|
|
|
|
Bayside Leader
|
69
|
72
|
|
Berwick Leader
|
64
|
62
|
|
Berwick/Pakenham News
|
51
|
51
|
|
Brimbank & North West Star Weekly
|
27
|
23
|
|
Brimbank Leader
|
60
|
60
|
|
Caulfield Glen Eira/Port Phillip Leader
|
67
|
76
|
|
Cranbourne Leader
|
34
|
29
|
|
Cranbourne News
|
23
|
18
|
|
Dandenong Journal
|
43
|
55
|
|
Dandenong/Springvale Dand Leader
|
68
|
60
|
|
Diamond Valley Leader
|
59
|
59
|
|
Echo (Geelong)
|
35
|
32
|
|
Frankston Standard Leader
|
86
|
90
|
|
Geelong Independent
|
101
|
81
|
|
Geelong News
|
95
|
77
|
|
Heidelberg Leader
|
34
|
40
|
|
Hobsons Bay Leader
|
27
|
25
|
|
Hume Leader
|
61
|
57
|
|
Knox Leader
|
93
|
93
|
|
Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader
|
43
|
47
|
|
Manningham Leader
|
66
|
65
|
|
Maribyrnong & Hobsons Bay Star Weekly
|
27
|
16
|
|
Maribyrnong Leader
|
25
|
20
|
|
Maroondah Leader
|
45
|
43
|
|
Melbourne Leader
|
41
|
36
|
|
Melton & Moorabool Star Weekly
|
29
|
25
|
|
Melton Leader
|
38
|
31
|
|
Moonee Valley Leader
|
42
|
38
|
|
Moorabbin Kingston/Moorabbin Glen Eira Leader
|
64
|
60
|
|
Mordialloc Chelsea Leader
|
38
|
36
|
|
Moreland Leader
|
65
|
60
|
|
Mornington Peninsula Leader
|
71
|
81
|
|
Mountain Views/Upper Yarra Mail
|
20
|
21
|
|
Northcote Leader
|
26
|
30
|
|
Preston Leader
|
43
|
45
|
|
Progress Leader
|
54
|
54
|
|
Ranges Trader/Ferntree Gully, Belgrave Mail
|
14
|
17
|
|
Stonnington Leader
|
42
|
48
|
|
Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Star Weekly
|
21
|
18
|
|
Sunbury/Macedon Ranges Leader
|
37
|
35
|
|
Waverley/Oakleigh Monash Leader
|
85
|
96
|
|
Whitehorse Leader
|
85
|
88
|
|
Whittlesea Leader
|
67
|
57
|
|
Wyndham/Point Cook Wyndham Leader
|
48
|
51
|
|
Wyndham Star Weekly
|
41
|
48
|
|
MELBOURNE TOTAL
|
1,893
|
1,867
|
|
BRISBANE COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS
|
|
|
|
Albert & Logan News (Thu)
|
94
|
97
|
|
Bayside Bulletin
|
74
|
71
|
|
Bayside and Northern Suburbs Star
|
43
|
53
|
|
Brisbane News
|
87
|
109
|
|
Caboolture News
|
47
|
55
|
|
Caboolture Shire Herald
|
40
|
45
|
|
City North News
|
18
|
21
|
|
City South News
|
22
|
24
|
|
Ipswich Advertiser
|
43
|
49
|
|
Noosa News (Tue,Fri Av)
|
34
|
36
|
|
Northside Chronicle
|
77
|
76
|
|
North-West News
|
69
|
73
|
|
TOTAL Pine Rivers Press/North Lakes Times
|
42
|
36
|
|
Redcliffe and Bayside Herald
|
45
|
44
|
|
Redland Times
|
64
|
57
|
|
Reporter
|
26
|
28
|
|
Satellite
|
31
|
32
|
|
South-East Advertiser
|
64
|
78
|
|
Southern Star
|
68
|
79
|
|
TOTAL South-West News/Springfield News
|
47
|
48
|
|
Westside News
|
59
|
61
|
|
Wynnum Herald
|
50
|
49
|
|
BRISBANE TOTAL
|
838
|
938
|
|
PERTH COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS
|
|
|
|
Canning Times
|
44
|
41
|
|
Comment News
|
46
|
40
|
|
Eastern Reporter
|
61
|
51
|
|
Echo
|
47
|
47
|
|
TOTAL Examiner Newspapers
|
84
|
60
|
|
Fremantle Gazette
|
30
|
28
|
|
Cockburn Gazette
|
39
|
33
|
|
Guardian Express
|
24
|
29
|
|
TOTAL Herald Newspapers
|
93
|
88
|
|
Hills/Avon Valley Gazette
|
49
|
49
|
|
Joondalup Times
|
69
|
62
|
|
Wanneroo Times
|
62
|
54
|
|
Joondalup Weekender
|
46
|
37
|
|
Wanneroo Weekender
|
25
|
22
|
|
Mandurah Coastal/Pinjarra Murray Times
|
49
|
40
|
|
Mandurah Mail
|
54
|
44
|
|
Melville Times
|
43
|
44
|
|
Midland/Kalamunda Reporter
|
50
|
50
|
|
Midland Reporter
|
27
|
27
|
|
Kalamunda Reporter
|
25
|
25
|
|
Perth Voice
|
36
|
41
|
|
TOTAL Post Newspapers
|
68
|
72
|
|
Sound Telegraph
|
39
|
41
|
|
Southern Gazette
|
44
|
43
|
|
Stirling Times
|
73
|
67
|
|
Weekend Courier
|
54
|
48
|
|
Western Suburbs Weekly
|
44
|
49
|
|
PERTH TOTAL
|
840
|
802
|
|
ADELAIDE COMMUNITY PUBLICATIONS
|
|
|
|
City (was City Messenger)
|
35
|
30
|
|
City North Messenger
|
38
|
32
|
|
East Torrens Messenger
|
37
|
29
|
|
Eastern Courier Messenger
|
69
|
66
|
|
Guardian Messenger
|
68
|
66
|
|
Leader Messenger
|
47
|
41
|
|
Mitcham & Hills Messenger
|
29
|
28
|
|
News Review Messenger
|
34
|
15
|
|
Northern Messenger
|
63
|
76
|
|
Portside Messenger
|
43
|
45
|
|
Southern Times Messenger
|
95
|
86
|
|
Weekly Times Messenger
|
64
|
71
|
|
ADELAIDE TOTAL
|
590
|
583
|
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, April 2012 – March 2014 n = 99,231, April 2013 – March 2015 n = 99,941 Australians 14+
The total readership of News Limited papers rose just under 1%, to 5,062,000, driven by outstanding 13.2% growth in total Quest readership in Queensland and a steady overall result for the NewsLocal network in NSW.
Fairfax’s publications maintained a combined reach of just over a million across NSW and Victoria, down 2.8% compared with the 24 months to March 2014.
Tim Martin, General Manager - Media, Roy Morgan Research, says:
“These latest Roy Morgan Community Readership results show that the local news industry is holding ground, especially when compared with metro dailies over the period.
“This positive result illustrates the continuing need for accurate monitoring and differentiation of local newspapers.”
For comments or more information please contact:
Vaishali Nagaratnam
Telephone: +61 (3) 9224 5309
Vaishali.Nagaratnam@roymorgan.com