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Paper short abstract:

This presentation will focus on chihoshi, local newspapers of Japan, presenting survey research pointing to the role of the local newspaper for readers together with an in-depth examination of the agenda-setting power of local newspaper rensai columns in local communities.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation will focus on chihoshi, local newspapers of Japan, presenting survey research outlining the role of the local newspaper for readers together with an in-depth examination of the agenda-setting power of local newspaper rensai columns in local communities. Readership of newspapers in Japan is one of the highest in the world, and readership of local newspapers (chihoshi)—countering the big five national newspapers—is also notably high. Based on a readership survey covering Japan north of Tokyo, the research will illuminate the expectations that readers have for their local newspaper, both in general and individually, as well as the role ascribed the local newspaper by readers. The research will also examine the rensai (long-running thematic columns) and tokushu (special content) of 40+ local newspapers from across Japan, outlining how the rensai and tokushu of such local newspapers portray contemporary issues for local communities. The research is contextualized by the idea that as major (print) media sources continue to consolidate and adjust to a changing market through digitalization together with coordination and streamlining of content, local media becomes increasingly important in presenting content that both captures the trends of contemporary Japan as a whole while also connecting with its own region as a specific locale as well as creating a specific and meaningful local identity for readers. A further aspect of the combined survey-content intersection in the research is to identify if and, if so, how, the local newspaper may act as a mechanism of local interest and participation for local readers.