2004 Annual Report - Alternative Media

Perhaps the biggest myth about the alternative press is that it is read by and focused on young, pierced and tattooed 20-somethings. In fact in many of the nation's larger cities, alternative weeklies have an audience primarily in their 30s and even their 40s, according to surveys by media research companies.¹ Their readers are relatively well educated and many have high incomes. In Texas, The Austin Chronicle's readership has a median age of 38. More than 67 percent of the readers have graduated from college and the median annual household income is $55,000, the data show. The Miami New Times' readership has a median age of 41 and a median household income of more than $47,000.² Below, the 10 largest cities in America and demographic statistics on their alternative weeklies:

Alternative Weeklies and Demographics for Select U.S. Cities

City	Publication	Median Age	Median Income	College Graduate Rate
New York	Village Voice	35	$50,000	57%
	New York Press	37	64,079	51
Los Angeles	LA Weekly	38	66,000	31
	OC Weekly	37	73,000	35
Chicago	Chicago Reader	N/A	57,000	71
	Chicago Newcity	N/A	51,241	57
Houston	Houston Press	39	72,000	41
Philadelphia	Philadelphia Weekly	35	61,444	42
	Philadelphia City Paper	36	52,000	46
Phoenix	Phoenix New Times	37	56,375	35
San Diego	San Diego City Beat	42	53,725	27
	San Diego Reader	41	59,586	29
Dallas	Dallas Observer	41	45,090	32
San Antonio	San Antonio Current	37	55,858	30
Detroit	Metro Times	36	55,964	38

Source: Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, directory pages, www.aan.org

Why are these readers attracted to alternative weeklies, other than their being free? First, the publications generally offer a more comprehensive section of event listings than their mainstream competitors. And the advertising in the alternative weeklies often serves as a second type of events listing. Local clubs, theaters and galleries advertise in the weeklies about events because the alternative weeklies offer a cheaper advertising medium than metro dailies. Not to mention the personal listings that appear in these publications, which are often more eccentric than those that appear in the mainstream press.

Second, the content of the weeklies often delves into areas that the mainstream dailies avoid or do not cover extensively - from city politics to government to entertainment. In Washington, for example, the City Paper devotes a lengthy weekly column, "Loose Lips," to the city's vibrant local political scene. A column in December looked at a behind-the-scenes battle over a city smoking ban, a dispute between the mayor and a former City Council member over waterfront development and the amount a fired city employee received in a settlement.

But why specific readers pick up their weekly alternative paper varies with the style of the tabloid. And there are many styles.