According to a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism the Arab American media’s efforts to meet the demands of its readers have become difficult in recent years because of declining ad revenue, new technology and increasing competition from Arab outlets in the Middle East and North Africa.

The population of Arab Americans in the United States is continuing to grow as a rapid pace, giving Arab media an even larger audience to serve.  In 2011 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that about 1.8 million Arab Americans were living in the United States, a significant increase of nearly 47 percent from 2000.  Many argue that’s an undercount.  According to the Arab American Institute, the number of Arab Americans living in the United States is 3.7 million. 

The history of Arab American news media isn’t long, and only spans a few decades. The most prominent medium are newspapers and news websites with the coverage primarily being on community news and events.  There is also much coverage on events taking place nationally and internationally, giving readers information on events taking place in their homelands or countries they trace their roots to. 

A number of papers circulation has increased to meet the demands of the Arab American media including The Arab American News which currently has a weekly circulation of 35,000, as oppose to when its circulation was 30,000 in 2009. While new Arab American newspapers continue to launch, many are still struggling to recover from the 2007 economic downturn, while still trying to keep up with new advance technology, and social media. 

There are still very few Arab American television stations, often viewers are turning to satellite programming and online television from Arab countries.  Arab American radio is struggling to survive with the because of continuing declines in advertising revenue.    For one radio program, sponsorship from a few individuals within the Arab American community is enabling market expansion, but it’s unclear of  whether it’s an industry wide solution. Other outlets are increasing their audio content online, averting the high costs of broadcasting on air altogether. 

The top media markets for Arab Americans are in New York City, Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington D.C. 

The Pew Research Center ‘s Project for Excellence reports that The Arab American News is one of the country’s more established papers still publishing. Osama Siblani, the publisher of The Arab American News was interviewed by the Pew Research Center for its study on Arab American Media.  

Siblani says he’s attempted to broaden the distribution of the paper to other states with high concentrations of Arab Americans but the cost of large-scale expansion was too expensive. The paper’s revenue has declined over the years, and while sales increased in 2010 and 2011, figures for 2012 are still down 25% to 30% from what they were before the 2007 economic crisis. 

The Arab American News print readership is larger than its digital. Its website averages about 10,000-15,000 visitors a week, and is expected to expand. The Arab American News also offers an e-newspaper-an electronic publication identical in content and layout top the print version, and can be viewed online.