I mentioned a few months ago some research I’ve been collaborating with the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) focusing on “RSS Next and Best Practices for Newspapers.” They released the second phase of my research, which includes survey responses from 71 newspaper executives regarding their current and anticipated use of RSS within their publications. The survey found:

Newspaper digital media executives’ primary objective in syndicating content via RSS is to extend and grow their audience. That conclusion is based on a fall 2006 survey of 71 executives (out of 718 solicited). Other major conclusions:

• Most newspapers began syndicating their content via RSS over the last few years, but aren’t yet actively tracking the behavior of their RSS subscribers.
• Only a few newspapers consider their operations profi table right now. However, early adopters are beginning to explore including advertisements and sponsorships as additional sources of revenue.

The entire second-phase report with a breakdown of the responses is available here.