Identifying How and Where to Deliver Sports News Digital Content to Fans

Jeffrey Boggess,* Miranda Wolfe* and Jaden Wolff*, Reed College of Media, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Field (Broad Category): Communications/Journalism (Behavioral & Social Sciences) 

Student’s Major: ADPR 

The growth of digital news subscriptions has left some newspaper publishers without marketing plans detailing how to transition their content online. The McClatchy Company, however, has found relative success by implementing niche subscription services for its online content, yet the overall brand has continued to suffer due to a lack of clearly defined competitors and a lack of owned media presence. This paper uses an online survey and focus group findings to identify where consumers who identify as sports fans are most likely to come across and engage with sports news content. This research identifies the McClatchy Company’s direct and indirect competition, and the gateways consumers use to access their preferred content while revealing the weaknesses in the McClatchy Company’s current strategy. Through identification of the many variables that lead consumers through content paywalls, this research explores which qualities—such as loyalty, convenience, and expendable income—consumers consider important in identifying as sports fans and subscribing to sports news. All of these findings are important in configuring a successful strategic communication for the McClatchy Company to better appeal to its target audiences across its sister newspapers. 

Funding: 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: Other