African Americans have always consumed media at a greater rate than other segments of the population. But while they watch more hours of TV, and spend more time listening to radio than anyone, black consumers have not abandoned their interest in newspapers and magazines.
In fact, a look at data from the Dept. of Commerce reveals that African-American households have maintained a higher rate of purchases of print media than white households. Black purchases of newspapers and magazines grew 9.2 percent between 2006 and 2010, the latest data available. During the same period, whites' purchases of print media declined 14 percent.
White purchases of single copies of newspapers and magazines have dropped every year since 2006, while black purchases dropped only once in four years. Print media subscriptions for blacks and whites have declined steadily over that period, though the rate of decline for whites was much steeper.
This research suggests that print information may be more valuable to African-Americans and they are willing to pay more even as the cost per copy increases. It may also suggest that blacks are not getting all the news and information they desire from free sources on the Internet.
The newest edition of Target Market News' "Buying Power of Black America" report shows that black households spent $402 million on newspapers and magazines in 2010. Of that amount, $202 million was spent on buying single copies versus subscriptions. That represents a 16 percent increase over the previous year.
For more information about the upcoming edition of "The Buying Power of Black America" visit www.targetmarketnews.com.
