The free Midland News Association title, which celebrates its first birthday this week, outperforms its rivals by delivering 21,875 copies per week within its own distribution area, according to the latest ABC data, say the publishers.
The study, carried out to JICREG standards, found that in just one year, the local weekly edition of Britain’s biggest selling regional newspaper had built a loyal following with more than two thirds (68%) of people in the area having read a copy in the previous week, rising to 76% of the population who have read it at some point since its launch.
On average, each reader takes 23 minutes 48 seconds reading the paper meaning that people in the town spend 13,565 hours per week with the Kidderminster Express & Star.
MNA managing director Phil Inman said the research showed the Kidderminster Express & Star had quickly become “a very strong presence in the town”.
He said: “Readers have become engaged with the newspaper in a very short time, and were particularly complimentary about our coverage of regional news, sport, business as well as our TV listings.
“The Kidderminster edition draws upon the strength of the Express & Star brand which has been trusted by people in our region for more than a century. We will use the research findings to further enhance the paper and, going forward, continue to grow this audience and their satisfaction with our product.”
The weekly edition of the Express & Star replaced the MNA’s Kidderminster Chronicle in October 2012.
Research company Press Ahead conducted face to face interviews with a demographically representative sample of 423 people from the Kidderminster Express & Star area.
Press Ahead managing director Russell Borthwick said: “We are delighted to be able to report back such positive results for a newspaper that is only just passing its first birthday, proving yet again the amazing power of local and regional newspapers and the very special relationship they have with their readers.
“Our findings show that the Kidderminster Express & Star is a newspaper which engages with the local community, and is trusted to help them make the decisions that affect their everyday lives. For example, of everyone in the area saying they plan to buy a new or used car in the next 12 months, 85% of them read every issue of the paper, which is great news for advertisers.”
A promotional campaign, including in-print ads, is being launched to promote the headline findings.
