WebProNews

The Newspaper Association of America said 59.6 million people visited newspaper Web sites in July 2007, a 9 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

Newspaper Web site audiences accounted for 37.1 percent of active Internet users in the third quarter which is a 3.7 percent increase over the 56.9 million average over the previous year.

Visitors to newspaper Web sites generated 2.8 billion pageviews per month during the quarter, up from the 2.5 billion monthly average during the same period in 2006. Visitors spent an average of more than 43 minutes per month on newspaper web sites during the quarter, an increase of 4 percent over the 40 minutes in the prior year.

The Newspaper Association of America found that close to eight in 10 adults (77%) read a newspaper in print or online each week. The most popular newspaper sites, in terms of average number of unique visitors included the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, LA Times and the Boston Globe.

"As the newspaper industry moves toward measurement data reflecting the medium's total reach and audience, this analysis is evidence of newspapers' broad appeal in a highly competitive media marketplace," said NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm.

"The study demonstrates newspapers' unique ability to reach affluent, highly educated consumers who shop online and rely on newspaper advertising to guide key purchasing decisions."