It’s autumn and with it, the 2008/2009 Interim Release of data for the top six markets. Updated readership data was released on September 23rd for Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Ottawa-Gatineau, Calgary and Edmonton. Readership of printed newspapers remains stable and we continue to see the rising importance of readership of newspapers on the Internet. There was a 10% increase in readership of online editions of daily newspapers for these markets (fall 08/spring 09 vs. spring and fall 2008), resulting in a modest increase in total weekly readership.

In addition to these top six markets, NADbank will be releasing an interim report for the Montréal EMA and Halifax CMA. Release of these results will be the middle of October.

Changes in how newspapers are being read prompted the Roadmap and Technical Committee to conduct the “Readership” or Flow Test alongside the spring 2009 survey in Toronto. The results of this test were not conclusive and before making a recommendation to members about the 2010 survey telephone questionnaire a further test is underway with the fall ’09 fieldwork.

Once the Technical Committee is confident about whether to recommend changes to the readership question, or not, we will begin a full dialogue with members about the implications of modifying the print readership questions.

The purpose of the changes is to improve the flow of the survey while maintaining its brevity and clarity. If we are able to streamline the print readership questions, it will allow us to expand the number and quality of the online readership questions. This will provide a more comprehensive understanding of how Canadians read and access their newspapers.

Bruce Claassen from Genesis-Vizeum has retired from the Board. He will be pursuing new opportunities in the industry. I would like to thank Bruce for his hard work and commitment to NADbank. He was a founding member of the NADbank Board in 1998 and his contribution will be missed. Robert Troutbeck from Troutbeck Chernoff Inc. will replace Bruce on the Board. Robert’s extensive background in newspaper planning and buying will be a valuable asset to NADbank.

There have also been a number of changes on the NADbank Committees. Jim Fahey, of the Toronto Star, has taken on the role of Chair of the Roadmap Committee. Chris Herlihey (IPG Media), Chair of the Technical Committee is happy to announce two new members; Greg Ramsay from Starcom MediaVest and Virginia Pino from MediaCom. We look forward to having these two new members as we move into new discussions about how the survey should be conducted in our complex society. 

2009 Study Update

At the end of the spring wave, the number of completed interviews was similar to the same period last year. Of the 37 markets measured, 12 are at or above their spring target; another 14 are in the 95% – 99% range. The remaining markets are within 10% of their spring completion targets. A number of factors contributed to below target completions; increased ‘not-in-service” and non-residential numbers coupled with increased refusal rates have negatively affected the fieldwork performance. The overall acceptance rate for the mail-back questionnaire remains stable compared to the same period last year.

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What’s News in the 2010 Mail Survey?

The Product Sub-Committee, chaired by Greg Ramsay from Starcom MediaVest, reviewed the entire 2009 questionnaire in order to improve the flow and ensure that the 2010 questionnaire is up to date with today’s market place and meets the needs of our members.

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Where do Canadian Adults Buy Their Groceries?

Supermarkets are the most popular stores from which Canadians purchase groceries. The percent of adults who shop for groceries at a supermarket has not changed over the past five years. Ninety-five percent of households in 2008 shopped at a supermarket.

The only stores that showed a decline in the past five years are convenience stores, while local farmer’s markets have shown the largest growth (37%).

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