Roger Fidler, RJI's Program Director for Digital Publishing (retired), describes insights from the RJI mobile media news consumption phone surveys.

1. Newspapers
in the mobile era
Insights from the RJI Mobile Media
News Consumption Phone Surveys
Roger Fidler
RJI Program Director for Digital Publishing [Retired]

2. Smartphone users vs.
tablet users
Percent of all 2014 respondents within each age group
0
20
40
60
80
100
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
SMARTPHONE USERS TABLET USERS
66%
Overall
32%
Overall

3. Smartphone users who are tablet users
vs. tablet users who are
smartphone users
Percent of smartphone users and tablet users within each age group
0
20
40
60
80
100
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
SMARTPHONE USERS WHO ALSO ARE TABLET USERS
TABLET USERS WHO ALSO ARE SMARTPHONE USERS
42% Overall 85% Overall

4. Mobile Users
Respondents who answered “Yes” to one or both of the
following questions:
“In the past 7 day, have you used a smartphone?
Smartphones are advanced mobile phones that provide
Internet access to online stores where specialized
programs called apps can be found and downloaded.”
“In the past 7 days, have you used a media tablet?
Apple defined the media tablet category with its
introduction of the iPad in 2010. Like smartphones,
media tablets provide Internet access to online stores
where apps can be found and downloaded.”
Newspaper Subscribers
Respondents who answered “Yes” to the following question:
Do you subscribe to the printed editions of any newspaper?

5. Mobile users vs. newspaper
subscribers
Percent of all 2014 respondents within each age group
0
20
40
60
80
100
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
MOBILE USERS NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIBERS
70%
Overall
30%
Overall

6. Mobile users who are newspaper
subscribers vs. newspaper subscribers
who are mobile users
Percent of mobile users and newspaper subscribers within each age group
0
20
40
60
80
100
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
MOBILE USERS WHO ALSO ARE NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIBERS
NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIBERS WHO ALSO ARE MOBILE USERS
27%
Overall
63%
Overall

7. Mobile News Consumers
Respondents who answered “Yes” to the following question:
“In the past 7 days, have you used a smartphone
and/or tablet to keep up with the news?
By news, I mean local, national and international
current event and issue stories, as well as
niche topics such as sports, business/financial,
entertainment, and technology.”
Newspaper News Consumers
Respondents who answered “Yes” to the following question:
“In the past 7 days, have you read any stories
in the printed editions of any newspaper?”

8. Mobile news consumers vs.
newspaper news consumers
Percent of all 2014 respondents within each age group
0
20
40
60
80
100
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
MOBILE NEWS CONSUMERS NEWSPAPER NEWS CONSUMERS
47%
Overall
56%
Overall

9. Mobile news consumers who are newspaper
news consumers vs. newspaper news
consumers who are mobile news consumers
Percent of mobile news consumers and newspaper news consumers
within each age group
0
20
40
60
80
100
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
MOBILE NEWS CONSUMERS WHO ALSO ARE NEWSPAPER NEWS CONSUMERS
NEWSPAPER NEWS CONSUMERS WHO ALSO ARE MOBILE NEWS CONSUMERS
45%
Overall
53%
Overall

10. Fidler’s Cogitations
⋙ Mobile media devices nearing saturation in the
United States; phablets likely to reduce use
of tablets, especially minis.
⋙ Metro newspapers will continue to decline;
most national and small community newspaper
printed editions will coexist with mobile media.
⋙ Desktop personal computer usage also will
continue to decline as people come to rely
more on mobile devices.
⋙ All markets and all newspapers are not the same;
newspapers need to leverage their strengths.

11. Fidler’s Cogitations
⋙ Mobile media is NOT electronic print media!
⋙ Smartphones used everywhere mainly for
interpersonal communication and personalized
content.
⋙ Tablets used mainly at home for entertainment,
and other leisure time activities.
⋙ Printed newspapers also used everywhere;
more convenient for local news consumers
and more effective for local merchants than
mobile media.

12. Fidler’s Cogitations
⋙ Newspapers need to provide mobile users
with more content not found in print.
⋙ Engagement with local
readers and advertisers
more important than ever.
⋙ Most people like to see
themselves and the people
they know in print.
⋙ Sometimes the past can
be a guide to the future.

13. RJI Mobile Media Research Project
www.rjionline.org/research/rji-mobile-media-project
Roger Fidler
Program Director for Digital Publishing [Retired]
FidlerR@rjionline.org
(573) 808.2137