Engaging rural media consumers in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi

There is much discussion among media practitioners and scholars concerning the inclusion or exclusion of hyperlocal content in 21st century traditional newspapers and their websites. Thirty-four newspaper websites in rural Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi were studied using content analysis to determine the level of hyperlocal content used on the various traditional newspapers' website homepages. The analysis determined that approximately one-fifth of these newspapers' online space was devoted to hyperlocal content. The major findings from this analysis of the hyperlocal stories used on these homepages were the more heterogeneous the community in terms of geo-ethnicity, the less likely the newspaper's website will have comments, and the higher the education and income levels of the community, the higher the interactivity of the website. This study tested engagement and interactivity using reader comments, Facebook Likes, and interactivity tools offered. However, further testing is warranted in order to validate these conclusions, as the scope of this research did not include variables such as broadband availability, computer access, or computer literacy to determine how these phenomena, as they relate to engagement or interaction, affect the outcome. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries