VITAMEDIAS

Stop The Presses: Newspapers Can't Even Give It Away: freebies introduced in New York, Chicago, Boston and Dallas, have had a negligible impact on overall newspaper circulation in those markets. And while they are attracting some hard-to-reach readers, including younger and minority, these are small gains that have had more to do with distribution strategies--such as giving papers away free in mass transit areas--than with the availability of alternative, free papers. The main effect has been that heavy newspaper readers simply read more, picking up the freebies in addition to their regular paid dailies. "Free dailies do not cannibalize paid readership. To the contrary, readers read more"