e
ar
we
the smart alternative
Southern
Colorado’s
largest
weekly
125,000
regular
readers
locally
owned since
1993
36,000
papers every
Thursday
900+
locations
devoted
to bettering
our
community
“The
readers
LIKE
the paper
and the
advertisers
LIKE
the
readers.”
- The Society of
Professional
Journalists
on alternative
newsweeklies
REV.10
i n dy
2008 Awards
in the past 7 years
Colorado Society of Professional
Journalists First-Place Awards:
Naomi Zeveloff, Education
Reporting: “School Supplies”
Naomi Zeveloff, Legal Affairs Reporting: “Prison Break”
Pete Freedman, A&E Reporting:
“Kind of Blue”
Michael de Yoanna,
Investigative Reporting: “Mind Game”
Michael de Yoanna, Political Reporting:
“Under the Influence”
Association of Alternative
Newsweeklies National Award:
3rd: Naomi Zeveloff, Immigration Reporting
2006 Awards
Ralph Routon, Personal Columns
Colorado Society of Professional
Journalists First-Place Awards:
Michael de Yoanna,
Political Reporting:
“Bruce Against the Machine”
Rich Tosches, Legal Affairs Reporting:
“The End of Innocence”
David Torres-Rouff, A&E
Features in Food/Beverage Writing: “Appetite”
Association of Alternative
Newsweeklies National Awards:
J. Adrian Stanley
3rd: Short Form/News Story
Cara DeGette
Honorable Mention, Personal Columns
2007 Awards
Colorado Society of Professional
Journalists First-Place Awards:
Dan Wilcox, Legal Affairs Reporting:
“Rx for Confusion”
Matthew Schniper & Kathryn Eastburn,
Arts and Entertainment Reporting
News/Feature: “Arts Guide”
Cara DeGette, Education Reporting: “Artless”
Cara DeGette, Investigative/Enterprise Reporting: “All Shook Up”
Aaron Retka, Kathryn Eastburn,
David Torres-Rouff, A&E Reporting,
Features in Food/Beverage Writing and
Reporting: “Feast on This”
Rich Tosches, Business Reporting,
Feature Writing: “Kicked to the Curb”
Michael de Yoanna, News Feature Reporting:
“Worked to Death”
Association of Alternative
Newsweeklies National Award:
3rd: Cara DeGette, Investigative Reporting
Utne Reader nominated the
Independent as one of eight
newspapers in the country
offering the best local and
‘05
.
news
the
of
g
rtin
repo
onal
regi
‘08
‘07
‘06
‘05
Awards:
Awards:
Awards:
Awards:
15
13
12
15
‘04 Awards:
‘03 Awards:
‘02 Awards:
12
13
11
Alternative newsweeklies
have stood out in a crowd
for their ability to
target a hip young
adult readership.
- Advertising Age
REV.09
s
r
e
d
a
e
r
r
ou
the people
let
us
guide you
to your
potential
customers.
drive the local economy
When compared with the average adult, our readers buy more
houses, cars, electronic equipment, home furnishings, and
personal goods each year. Younger and more affluent, they
are in the acquisition phase of life - a great demo for our
advertisers.
responsible and informed decision makers
They are extremely loyal, dynamic and informed consumers with
a high level of education. Passionate, savvy, influential and
socially active - they take great interest in politics, the arts,
their environment and their community.
play as hard as they work
They’re always on the go - working, traveling, entertaining,
gardening, staying it, and learning. Our readers shop and
dine out more, and attend more movies, concerts, arts &
sporting events than the average resident.
men/women . . . . 54.7/46.3%
mean h.h. income. .
married/single.
48.5/51.57%
have children . . . . 32%
attended college . . . 66.7%
own a home. . . . . . . 84%
age 18-54. . . . . . . 76.3%
own 3+ vehicles. . . . . 40%
An Alt weekly reader is
a desirable target for an
advertiser, they are the
people who spend money,
have fun and have a lot of
disposable income. They
have a median age of 40,
$56,319
average household income
of $64,120, and they
have relatively high
education levels.
- State of the News
Media 2005/E&P
*Source: Media Audit Jan. - Feb. 2009
REV.09
i
n
o
i
t
u
b
i
r
D st
locations
monument
240
papers
12
+
900
northwest
teller county
distribution
locations
36,000
locations
+
weekly papers
36
north
east
100
1,040
papers
locations
130
4,905
papers
3,250 papers
locations
locations
downtown
manitou
45
locations
1,850
papers
294
west/
southwest
locations
176
125,000 +
11,185
papers
locations
7,355
papers
regular
readers
southeast
94
locations
3,995 papers
chaffee county
12
locations
135
papers
pueblo county
73
locations
cir•cu•la•tion:
1,730
papers
number of
papers printed
read•er•ship:
number of
people reading
the paper
Circulation and advertising
revenue is slipping at the nation’s
metropolitan daily newspapers, but
alternative papers are proving
attractive to mainstream advertisers.
- Wall Street Journal
Publisher’s statement available
upon request.
REV.09
%
largest
metro area in the country.
Colorado Springs is the 83rd
growth of the
The Independent is outpacing the rapid population
ne.
market while the daily’s circulation continues to decli
local trends
population
el paso county
independent
609,096
weekly circulation
up
up
397,014
36,000
53%
101,578
gazette
weekday circulation
down
70%
31%
69,918
22,000
1990
2008
1993
2008
1996
2008
national trends
Across the nation, alternative newsweeklies, such as the Independent, are among the fastest growing
segment of the newspaper industry, while the circulation of daily newspapers has fallen.
The Independent’s success mirrors other newsweeklies around the country.
alt. weekly
circulation
daily
circulation
59,800,000
7,100,000
up
down
43%
22%
4,961,000
0
1993
2008
46,675,000
1993
2008
grow in circulation and revenue
. . .alternative papers
even as dailies struggle. . .
- Time Magazine
*Sources: Population, US Census. Independent: Publishers Statement available upon request. Gazette- Audit Bureau of Circulations, March 31, 2008.
Total Average Paid by Individual Recipient Circulation - Core Newspaper, Cmbd. Avg. (Mon-Fri). National trends: AAN National Office 2008
(weeklies), StateOfTheNewsMedia.com (dailies).
REV.09
a
few of our
augustaprilmarch
february
Feb • “Bites”
Feb • “Drink”
Mar • “Indy Insider”
Apr • “Eco Issue”
May • “Education”
May • “Summer Things”
Aug • “Student Survival”
Aug • “Fall Arts”
Oct • ”Best Of”
Nov • “Give”
Dec • “Gift Guides”
Weeklies claim an avid
readership among those
most coveted by mainstream
dailies and advertisers:
educated young adults and
upscale baby boomers with
an intense interest in
public affairs and plenty
of disposable income. .
- Presstime
REV.09
the
we are the ..................... Colorado Springs
Independent
address..........................
235 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
phone..............................
fax................................
719.577.4545
719.577.4107
email..............................
sales@csindy.com
website...........................
csindy.com
publisher........................
John Weiss
jweiss@csindy.com
ceo.................................
Francis Zankowski
fran@csindy.com
executive editor..............
Ralph Routon
routon@csindy.com
managing editor..............
Kirk Woundy
kirk@csindy.com
vp of retail sales..........
Teri Homick
teri@csindy.com
classified ad director/
associate publisher.........
Carrie Simison-Bitz
carrie@csindy.com
art director....................
Kathy Conarro
kcc@csindy.com
member of........................
(AAN) The Association of
Alternative Newsweeklies &
Colorado Press Association
publication day...............
circulation.....................
market served.................
every Thursday
36,000
El Paso county
(Also Pueblo/Teller & Chaffee county)
distribution...................
readership......................
875+ locations
cume readership..............
117,496 in El Paso county
7,504 outside the county
& subscriptions
age: 18-49 cume reach.......
age: 25-54 cume reach.......
avrg. household income.....
76,483
65,909
$56,319
demographics source.........
Media Audit, International
Demographics, Jan-Feb ‘09
125,000
REV.09
?
the
POWER of
COLOR
Four-color newspaper ads have a 62% greater readership than black and white ads and 40%
greater readership than two-color ads.* Increase your advertising impact in the Independent by
adding four-color.
frequency
Consistency yields results.
frequencyfrequency
Research shows that consistent advertising
yields greater results than sporadic advertising.
A small ad that is run frequently yields greater
results than a large ad randomly.
Greater value.
We offer clients the greatest value based
on the frequency and size of the ad. By
running on a consistent basis, you can take
advantage of our best discounts, receiving the
greatest return on your advertising dollar.
Your competition isn’t quitting.
At any given time there are only so many people
in your target market who are ready to buy.
You’ve got to ight for your share of their
dollars or lose them.
Keep your old customers sold.
While advertising will certainly bring you new
customers, repeat business is critical. When
old customers don’t hear from you, they can
forget you’re an option.
The Independent is your partner.
By advertising regularly, you get more than
just a great way to reach your target market.
Our professionals can help you develop your
marketing plan, assist in designing your
advertising campaign and provide you with
detailed market research – all at no
additional cost.
important questions
Is the publication’s
circulation audited?
The Independent has utilized the nationally
recognized company “Certi ied Audit circulation”
(CAC). This independent company conducts thorough
studies in the market to verify whether the number a
publication claims as circulation is true or not.
For times when we do not use CAC, you may simply ask
for the Publisher’s statement detailing Press Run.
Who conducts their demographic
information surveys and how often?
Explore the details of a publication’s Reader
Pro iles because they will determine exactly who
is reading it (age, sex, marital status, homeowners
vs. renters, etc. . .) The Independent utilizes the
nationally recognized and independent research
irm International Demographics.
What is the publication’s return rate?
How many papers or magazines does the publisher
see come back at the end of the day, week, month,
or cycle? Certi ied audit determined a 3-5% return
rate for the Independent. You can also observe the
racks on your own and we recommend this homework.
If the racks are almost empty, it reflects
consumer demand and your ads are being
seen in the community.
Is the publication willing to give
editorial coverage if you advertise?
Beware! Although it is quite flattering to see
your business name in print along with positive
coverage, this does not automatically mean you are
achieving positive results in your overall market.
*Newspaper Association of America:
1999 Newspaper Ad Readership Study
REV.09
the springs
rocks!
Proof Colorado Springs
is a great place to
live, work and SPEND:
1st ittest city in the US
(Men’s Fitness Magazine 2008)
2nd for Manitou Springs Coolest small town in America
(Yahoo Travel 2009)
3rd best place to live in the US
(MSNBC 2009)
5th best city to
live, work and play
(Kiplingers 2008)
6th highest
rate of growth among the
“creative class”
(Richard Florida, author)
6th top city for defense jobs
(Fed Smith 2009)
6th top alternative
fueled city fleets
(Sustain Lane 2009)
9th best mid-size
metropolitain area in the US
(MSNBC 2009)
9th best library system
(HAPLR 2008)
10th best place for
business and careers
Population 609,096
(US
Census)
Located just South of Denver
Our 3rd largest industry is tourism, with
over 6.3 million visitors spending more
than 1 billion dollars per year
(experiencecoloradosprings.com/cscvb 2007)
Home to 18 colleges and universities
with a student population of 32,839
(Of ices of Admissions and Records 2007)
28 Fortune 500 companies have
a presence here
(EDC 2008)
Home to four major military installations,
the Springs has 36,000 active duty members
and 24,500 civilian and contract employees
– with an overall economic impact of
$5.05 billion dollars each year.
(EDC 2008 Guide)
(Forbes Magazine 2009)
11th best mid-sized
city for relocation
(Worldwide ERC 2008)
If you’re
not buying
the Springs,
you’re not buying
Colorado.
REV.09