The case of the disappearing reader – print in the new media space

Most press coverage surrounding the web’s influence on consumers’ traditional media behavior has centered on television. However, in the past few months several reports addressing print media have surfaced. As with television, the evidence goes either way (i.e., web does/does not impact usage), depending on who’s looking. Studies that attempt to isolate magazine reading behavior tend to come from sources with something at stake in the issue, and they support the stakeholders’ interests. Conversely, studies from disinterested parties do not separate magazine readership from other forms of reading.
With media companies fearful that ad dollars may be lost to the Internet, it is no wonder that there are a broad range of findings on the subject of the Internet’s impact on consumer media behavior. This paper attempts to provide an unbiased look at some of the underlying drivers in this evolution.

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