Readers’ Preferences for Print and Online Newspapers in Northwestern Nigeria

Print newspaper circulation declines as the online versions are available for free. This study determines the extent of readership preferences for both print and online newspapers in northwestern Nigeria. Daily Trust, being the largest circulating newspaper in the study area was selected for case study. The study employed quantitative approach, in which descriptive survey method was used to gather and analyze data from print and newspaper readers in the study area. Structured questionnaire was used as data-gathering instrument. The questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 330 newspaper readers using simple random sampling. The findings revealed a moderate (Mean=3.38) readers’ preference for the online version of the newspaper to its print counterpart. Further analysis of the findings revealed that majority of the readers (Mean=3.49) find themselves reading less print copy of the newspaper because they have access to the free online versions. Majority of the readers (mean=3.37) will continue to read the print version despite the availability of its free online counterpart. Also, majority of the readers (Mean=3.08) spend less time reading the print copy of the newspaper due to the availability of its online versions. Meanwhile, majority of the readers (Mean=3.51) are confident that the newspaper will continue to survive despite the availability of its free online versions.