Description of Industries and Summary of Findings

INDUSTRY 2711, NEWSPAPERS

This industry is made up of establishments primarily engaged in publishing
newspapers, or in publishing and printing newspapers. These establishments
carry on the various operations necessary for issuing newspapers, including
the gathering of news and the preparation of editorials and advertisements,
but may or may not perform their own printing. Commercial printing is
frequently carried on by establishments engaged in publishing and printing
newspapers, but, even though the commercial printing may be of major
importance, such establishments are included in this industry.
Establishments not engaged in publishing newspapers, but which print
newspapers for publishers, are classified in industry group 275. News
syndicates are classified in services, industry 7383. The term "newspaper"
includes those publications issued at regular frequencies which contain
news of interest to the general public whether or not they are published in
the English language. Publications have been classified as periodicals
(industry 2721) rather than as newspapers if their news and editorial
presentations do not appear to be directed to the public at large. Among
the types of publications sometimes considered newspapers, but treated in
the census as periodicals, are the following: trade journals, house organs,
local church or school papers, and like publications with very limited or
specialized news treatment.  Generally, publications issued by nonprofit
organizations (educational, religious, charitable, labor, business,
professional, etc.) are classified as periodicals, as are magazine and
comic supplements for Sunday newspapers.

The 1992 definition of this industry is the same as that used in the 1987
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The SIC number and title
also are the same.

In the 1992 Census of Manufactures, Industry 2711, Newspapers, had
employment of 417.0 thousand. The employment figure was 4 percent below the
434.4 thousand reported in 1987. Compared with 1991, employment decreased 3
percent. The 1991 data are based on the Census Bureau's annual survey of
manufactures (ASM), which is a sample survey conducted each year between
censuses.

The leading States in employment in 1992 were California, New York,
Florida, and Pennsylvania, accounting for approximately 31 percent of the
industry's employment. This represents a shift from 1987 when California,
New York, Texas, and Florida accounted for approximately 33 percent of the
industry's employment.

The total receipts for establishments classified in this industry were
$34.1 billion.

Establishments in virtually all industries ship secondary products as well
as products primary to the industry in which they are classified and have
some miscellaneous receipts, such as resales and contract receipts.
Industry 2711 shipped $32.3 billion of products considered primary to the
industry, $1.4 billion of secondary products, and had $492.6 million of
miscellaneous receipts, resales, and contract work.  Thus, the ratio of
primary products to the total of both secondary and primary products
shipped by establishments in this industry was 96 percent (specialization
ratio). In 1987, the specialization ratio was 97 percent.

Establishments in this industry also accounted for 100 percent of products
considered primary to the industry no matter where they were actually
produced (coverage ratio). In 1987, the coverage ratio also was 100
percent.

The products primary to industry 2711, no matter in what industry they were
produced, appear in file MC92F6A and aggregate to $32.3 billion. For
further explanation of specialization and coverage ratios, see file MC92F5B
and the appendixes.

The total cost of materials, services, and fuels and energy used by
establishments classified in the newspaper publishing industry amounted to
$6.9 billion. Data on specific materials consumed appear in file MC92F7.

Single-establishment companies in this industry with less than 5 employees
were excluded from the mail portion of the census. The data for these
establishments (and a small number of larger establishments whose reports
were not received at the time the data were tabulated) were obtained from
administrative records of other agencies or developed from industry
averages. These establishments accounted for 13 percent of the total value
of shipments.