Fewer Pinoys read papers

FILIPINOS, particularly the younger ones, have stopped the habit of reading newspapers because of changing lifestyle and other platforms.

Jay Bautista, the executive director of Nielsen Media, said that newspaper reading in the Philippines, as well as in Taiwan, is generally on a downtrend.

In the 1990s, Bautista added, newspaper reading in the Philippines was 50 percent, but over the last two to three years it went down to 20 percent.

“We’re seeing a declining trend [in the Philippines, as well as Indonesia and Thailand] in terms of reading newspapers,” he said, adding that some of the readers try other media that are easily accessible and free.

Bautista said that one reason for not reading broadsheets in the past 12 months was availability of other media, such as television, radio and Internet.
Price of a broadsheet was also an issue among the respondents.
Other respondents said that reading newspapers was not their priority.

“There’s a challenge in the Philippines because we are an audiovisual market and our lifestyle is changing,” Bautista said.
He added that Filipinos below 20 have stopped the habit of reading newspapers.

Nielsen said that newspaper readership was higher in Cebu with 36 percent, followed by Metro Manila, Mega Manila (Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Central Luzon) and Davao.

Sixty percent of the male respondents were reading broadsheets compared to 40 percent of the female ones.
Nielsen, however, noted that Filipinos still turn to newspapers for the latest headlines and news updates.

To attract more readers, Bautista said that a newspaper company should get to know their audience better.
He also noted that online readership is on the rise and the print media should address that climb by being more creative to attract more readers.

“The advantage of online publications is that they are not consigned to the demographic limits of the country unlike the hard copy,” Bautista said.
He said that other print media outfit are partnering with TV and radio stations to expand their reach, while others are experimenting in 3D.

In addition, Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks, according to Bautista, have great potential to reach audiences.

He recommended partnering with mobile-phone providers to develop applications that will bring news closer to the people.

Bautista pointed out that the broadsheets are competing for the attention of a very small segment—the upper middle class, which comprises 10 percent to 15 percent of the population.

He said that the remaining 85 percent or the lower class of the population, which prefers tabloids, could also be tapped.

To attract those in this class, Bautista added, the print media should be more relevant to them.

He said that television is still “king” despite the growth of new media.

Nielsen said that TV ownership was up 4 percent to 94 percent in 2009 compared to 2008.

In Metro Manila, the number of hours in a day spent on watching TV is 8 hours, followed by 7 hours and 36 minutes in Mega Manila.

Filipinos spent about 11 hours listening to FM stations and 9 hours to AM stations. –Darwin G. Amojelar, Senior Reporter, Manila Times