60% of adults in Hampshire County read a Gazette print or online product every week.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette is dominant as the county's leading information source, far surpassing any other newspaper or broadcast medium.
One in four Hampshire County residents with web access visit gazettenet.com each month.
Those are the top lines from an extensive market study conducted for the Daily Hampshire Gazette in 2011 by Clark, Martire, & Bartolomeo, Inc., a national marketing and public opinion research firm. Researchers interviewed 400 adults 18 years of age and over, with 80% conducted on landlines and 20% via respondents' cell phones. The results are projectable to the more than 130,469 adults living in Hampshire County.
Readership strength:
The Gazette posted the highest readership levels among all weekday newspapers measured, with particular strength in Northampton, Amherst and Easthampton.
In Amherst, The Amherst Bulletin and Daily Hampshire Gazette are the most widely read papers on a single-issue basis. The Amherst Bulletin posted very high frequency of readership in Amherst -- 44% read the last issue and 53% read the Amherst Bulletin in the last month. The Bulletin is delivered to 11,000 households in Amherst.
Internet
Internet access is nearly (93%) universal in Hampshire County, especially among those under 55 years of age. One in four area residents with Web access have used Gazettenet.com in the past month; 32% have used either Gazettenet.com or Amherstbulletin.com.
The Audience
Users of Gazette products are a dynamic buying audience
- 72% are in their prime earning years 25-54
- 60% have a bachelors degree or higher
- Their median income is $64,200
- The Gazette and gazettenet.com reach one out of two adults in all
- age groups in the past week
Radio and TV
The Gazette reaches 24% more Hampshire County residents each day than any of the commercial stations mentioned by survey participants.
WFCR drew the highest ratings among radio stations, still with 14 percent 1ess reach than the Gazette in Hampshire County.
12% of area residents subscribe to Sirius or XM satellite radio.
The yesterday reach of the Daily Hampshire Gazette exceeds that of the leading local TV news broadcast station.
Four out of ten Hampshire County residents have TiVo or a DVR - an impediment to TV advertising effectiveness.
Gazette Image
The image of the Gazette has grown more positive in recent years. The Gazette receives its highest ratings for:
- caring about the community
- local news and local advertising
- accuracy and fairness
- being well organized and timely.
Shoppers
Gazette products reach a majority of county residents who shop at all major retail centers.
Gazette products reach a majority of consumers in every retail category, as well as those seeking professional services and making major purchases.
Gazette readers buy local. According to the mean number of times shopped in the past 30 days, Downtown Northampton, Downtown Amherst and Hampshire Mall are the most frequently shopped venues.