Correlations of Newspaper Content with Circulation in the Suburbs: A Case Study

Abstract

This study follows the “umbrella” hypothesis that newspapers compete in layers radiating out from the newspaper(s) published in the central city to those published in distant suburbs. The assumption is that there is more competition between than within layers. A content analysis of four central city dailies in Denver and Detroit with selected surrounding suburban newspapers tests the hypothesis that circulation success in the suburbs is related to certain kinds of content and that if a larger newspaper is successful in these same suburbs there will be similarity of content. But the study found only weak support for this hypothesis.