ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses local news habits and preferences from an audience perspective. Drawing upon audience research done over a period of ten years in the Netherlands and placed in context using international research results, the notion of ‘valuable journalism’ is suggested as a conceptual bridge between what is usually defined as quality journalism (by journalists and users) and what users actually experience as local news quality. The findings suggest that giving more attention to specific topics (nature, environmental issues, history, safety and quality of care) and putting more emphasis on five news approaches (reciprocity and audience responsiveness as core to local news organisations’ business model, learning about the area, telling stories from within, facilitating regional orientation and honouring complexity) will provide news users with a more satisfying news experience for which they are willing to pay in money and/or attention.
