The Citizen's readership is the highest it's been since 2003, according to the Newspaper Audience Databank (NAD) 2009 readership survey.
NAD is a non profit organization in Toronto that conducts readership surveys every two years via telephone. Of the adults (ages 18 and up) surveyed, 48 per cent said that they read the Citizen yesterday, and 81 per cent read it in the past week. Of that 81 per cent, 16 per cent read the Citizen online.
"For those who think newspapers are dying, they haven't been to P.G.," said Citizen publisher, Hugh Nicholson. The Citizen's readership is two times higher than it's closest competition.
The Citizen aims to cover what people want to know. Singling out key issues like air quality, downtown revitalization, and economic development have contributed to the paper's success. Readers receive proper information and aren't left wanting more, said city editor, Mick Kearns.
Initiatives have been taken to not shy away from controversial issues, publish harder-hitting editorials, and seek accountability from organizations and individuals alike.
"We're taking a different approach and it's working," said Nicholson.
