Newspapers (Apparently) Look Better From the Front

According to The Media Audit, the percentage of adults reading the front section of a daily newspaper from 2000 to 2005 increased from 51.4 to 53.0 percent in the 87 metropolitan markets surveyed regularly.

Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, producer of The Media Audit, said "The same research shows the percentage of adults reading the other 11 sections of a daily newspaper declined."

The percentage of adults reading the front section varies from 68.2 percent in the New Haven metropolitan area to 41.8 percent in the Las Vegas market.

There are 16 markets where more than 60 percent of adults read a front page section regularly and 19 markets where less than 50 percent read a front page section regularly.

The severest decline in percentage of readers was in the weekend television guide book. Its percentage of readers dropped from 31.9 to 23.1 between 2000 and 2005 because it appears to be the most easily duplicated by other media.