The Local Media Roadmap Study
A national survey of 3,000 U.S. adults across nine census regions on the future of local newspapers — what readers want, what they trust, and where the growth audiences are.
Readers want local news to be the franchise.
The signal is clear and it comes directly from readers: the content mix they want from their local newspaper is dominated by local news coverage — not lifestyle, not national, not entertainment. 65% of U.S. adults say local news should be their newspaper's primary focus.
That's not a preference. That's a publishing strategy. Local newspapers leaning into accountability reporting, community journalism, and hyperlocal coverage are building the exact content mix their audience is asking for.
What readers say they want — by the numbers.
Across 3,000 respondents and nine census regions, the picture is remarkably consistent: readers are asking for local coverage, they trust local papers more than national media, and there's measurable generational opportunity.
The generational playbook.
The Roadmap Study identified three distinct audience opportunities for local newspapers — each with a different urgency, a different approach, and a different payoff.
Boomer Transition
Boomers remain a core readership but the transition window is narrowing. Publishers who act now on retention, format, and digital on-ramps capture the majority of what's left of that audience lifecycle.
Gen X as Growth
Gen X is the most underserved growth audience. They read, they subscribe, they pay — and most local publishers are marketing past them. The Roadmap Study shows 58% engagement with measurable room to grow.
Women Re-engagement
Women represent a measurable re-engagement opportunity. Content, format, and distribution choices that reflect how this audience actually consumes local information are where the upside sits.
Local is the franchise.
Trust is the advantage.
The Roadmap Study gave us language for what successful local newspapers already know intuitively: the content mix readers are telling you to build is roughly 65% local news, 35% lifestyle and community.
But the content mix is only half the story. The other half is trust — and on that axis, local newspapers hold a measurable advantage over every other category of news source.
About the Roadmap Study.
The Local Media Roadmap Study is a national research initiative commissioned by America's Newspapers in partnership with Coda Ventures to understand what readers want from their local newspapers.
The study surveyed 3,000 U.S. adults across all nine U.S. census regions, providing a representative view of local news preferences, trust, content priorities, and generational audience opportunities.
Findings are intended to inform publisher strategy, board discussions, advertiser conversations, and industry-wide understanding of the business future of local newspapers.
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Member access includes the complete research report, board summary deck, community leaders presentation, presenter scripts, and strategic framework materials.