A new study conducted by USC Annenberg's Strategic Public Relations Center and the communications firm Ketchum shows that consumers are not abandoning traditional media outlets – local newspapers and television news – as quickly as some might suggest.

According to the study, consumers still rely heavily on these publications to gather the information they need to make purchases and learn about issues. Nearly three of every four consumers (73.6 percent) rely on their local TV news for this information, while just under 70 percent (68.9 percent) depend on their local newspaper, with no substantial drop-off among younger consumers. These figures dwarf those for new media, with just 13.4 percent of the public using blogs, 4.8 percent subscribing to podcasts and only 4.5 percent viewing media on their cell phones.

The data fly in the face of a flurry of bad news for traditional media, with TV viewership sliding and newspaper circulation on the decline. The reason for the discrepancy lies in the nature of the survey – instead of looking at subscription numbers or ratings data, this report tracks media usage and reliance, asking which types of media consumers continue to trust for the information they want. The study's authors said the results show that while traditional media may be declining in quantity, consumers still value the quality of its information.

The survey, which tracked the media-usage habits of 1,490 adult Americans and 500 communications industry professionals, also showed that corporations must go farther than posting product information and news on their company Web sites, finding that only 6.8 percent of consumers look to these sites for this purpose. These numbers imply that corporate communicators must use all available media channels to distribute their messages, the authors wrote.

"The survey shows clearly that the best approach for corporate communicators involves employing a real marketing-mix mentality and using a variety of media channels when communicating with consumers and those who influence them," said Nicholas Scibetta, a Ketchum executive.

Strategic Public Relations Center director Jerry Swerling agreed. "Influencers devour all media all the time, including word of mouth, and they adopt new media earlier than others," he said. "As a result, companies must master how to participate in this cycle of influence."

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