Portuguese Regional Press as the Stronghold of Traditional Press with in the Country

Abstract

The newspaper industry is particularly influenced by the Internet growth (Flávian, 2014), where technological mutability and consumer behavior mostly affect the progressive decrease of newspapers´ paid print circulation in Portugal. This paper aims to show how the regional press seems to assume a distinctive market behavior (as compared to the more wider national press), consolidated in lower losses of paid print circulation as compared to the values registered for the national press. Taking advantage of a survey applied to professionals who work in the regional press sector, the purpose is to assess the usage and consumption profiles of regional print publications, according to the field professionals' self-perception. By making use of the primary data collected, we demonstrate how the portuguese regional press is shaped as a stronghold of the traditional press within the country, where attributes such as the greater loyalty of its readers, who are also significantly older and rely on the physical printed formats to access the contents produced, dictate the reality of this sector. We also discuss whether the policy orientation towards the increasing digitalization of the regional publications, is adjusted to the circumstances or not.