h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"Market research has clearly shown that the readership of the majority of local newspapers is made up of the older generation"

Which research is that specifically?

I'm not aware of any specific research, but in our area they do 'phone people to ask if they receive tha paper.

A rather scrappy method of establishing the readership would be to examine those who write to the letters column in a handful of editions. Most letters make no specific age statement, but of those who do I see:

8 pension age correspondents
2 adults
1 youth correspondent

This is by no means exhaustive.

It is interesting to note that the one youth who wrote was writing to complain about a previous article in the paper and later letters that ciriticised youths for spending time at the local playground. The inference in the article was that they were taking hard drugs and mugging passers-by, the youth wrote to say that they only congregated there because
a) There was nowhere else in the area to go, especially on Sunday.
b) They liked to play on the swings

That story tells you everything you need to know about both local papers and civic amenities in my area.

The most definite indicator of the local papers' readership comes from the slant and type of their articles. Even people I know who work for them deride them.

Saw a classic yesterday - an old fella wrote in to say that he was interested to read about someone getting compensation for some drug he had taken during the 2nd world war; he wondered if he could get compensation for being made to take bromide. Apparently the were given it to calm their sex drive in the absence of women - he said that it hadn't worked at the time but some 60 years on it seemed to be taking effect!

Have you ever written in to a local paper?

Not personally, but my theatre group has had write-ups and pictures in our local rags from time to time.
Here's something you may not know- we write most of the articles about us ourselves, then send them round as press releases. They appear virtually verbatim apart from some cryptic editing and typos.
Money for old rope?

For copious market research on UK local papers try the website of the Newspaper Society. http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk

In the facts and figures menus check out readership.