The best things in life are FREE

“Free paper readers are not broadsheet readers and broadsheet readers are not free paper readers.”

Our newspaper readership is traditionally low. Most of the Filipinos are watching TV and listening to the radio for news and information as well as entertainment. Only 7 million of the 76.5 million people in the Philippines (2000 figures from NSO) or 9 percent of the population read broadsheets and tabloids (including pass-on readership).

Why is the newspaper readership declining? Our newspaper readership is traditionally low but a lot of factors still affect the decline of newspaper readership… Many working people are too busy earning a living and finds reading the news of least important and they would rather watch TV to get the latest news. Would-be buyers of news papers, because of the hard times, would rather spend their money on food. Also, the already low readership still declines because of the cost of newspapers and newspapers’ penchant for politics, crime and violence.

How do free papers save the declining newspaper readership? Free papers saves newspaper readership because it’s free. People love what’s free. We’ll rather get news from TV and radio because we can access it for free. And if free papers will be available, then, well rather get news from the free paper rather than buying it. Regular commuters of trains and buses who don’t care about newspapers at all will surely give free newspapers a chance because it’s free.

 Free papers will save the already low newspaper readership because it will reach out to more readers who can’t afford to buy news paper and it will cultivate reading habits to the old and young. People who are easily bored with long news stories will find free papers easy to digest. And, especially, free papers don’t bring bad news of politics and crimes because most of it are “feel-good newspapers” that it gives readers good news. 

love, now and always,