WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – An independent readership study found Credit Union Times leads all other credit union publications in a plethora of key readership categories. Credit Union Times ranked No. 1 in mean reading time, pass-along rate, usefulness for CUs making product/vendor decisions, and as the one publication respondents would receive if limited to receiving only one publication. "The hard work and dedication our staff puts into this publication has made us a must-read for credit union leaders. I couldn't be happier with the results and for my staff," said Credit Union Times' Publisher Mike Welch. The independent survey was conducted by RDF Associates out of Cary, N.C. The four-page questionnaire was mailed first-class to 500 credit union CEOs chosen randomly on an every "nth" name basis. Even though there were no incentives or follow-up reminders, the study commanded a solid 46.5% response rate with 228 CEOs returning the survey. Welch said one of the most impressive findings came when respondents were asked to choose the one publication they would receive if they were limited to only one CU publication. "That's a question that is really asking CEOs to choose who is the best in their eyes," said Welch. Some 174 respondents, or 76%, selected Credit Union Times.The next closest choice was Credit Union Management, yet only 24 respondents, or 11%, selected it. The only other weekly credit union publication, Credit Union Journal, was a distant fourth with just five respondents, or 2%. (See chart for complete breakdown.) Credit union CEOs are also spending more time reading Credit Union Times than any other publication – over 40 minutes each issue. That's eight minutes longer than the second choice, Credit Union Magazine. What's significant there, said Welch, is Credit Union Magazine is a monthly and Credit Union Times is a weekly. "If you looked at it as four issues of Credit Union Times each month, that's over 160 minutes CEOs are spending with the publication," he said. The other weekly publication, Credit Union Journal, ranked next to last with CEOs spending just 11 minutes reading time. Readers also look to Credit Union Times for product/vendor selections. Some 110 respondents, or 48%, said Credit Union Times is the most useful publication for choosing a product/vendor. The next closest publication was Credit Union Magazine at 18%; and then Credit Union Management at 13%. Again, the only other weekly publication, Credit Union Journal, finished next to last with just 2%. There was one study finding that was sort of a double-edged sword, said Welch. That's the question on pass-along rate. Credit Union Times boasts the highest pass-along rate at 4.87, which is more than twice the rate of Credit Union Journal's 2.40 pass-along. "Obviously I'm thrilled that we beat out everyone else. It means more people are seeing the publication than any other. However that means there are some long routing lists for Credit Union Times. I hope those at the bottom get it while the news is still hot," said Welch. And "news" said Welch is one of the reasons he thinks Credit Union Times scored the best in the survey. "This is not a sleepy industry. There's a lot going on and if you really want to stay on top of the news, Credit Union Times is the one place to turn. Our nose for news and our independence give us the edge," he said. The study found that readers are definitely interested in news. One survey question asked what CEOs are looking for most in a credit union publication. Unbiased news stories was first with 193 respondents, or 83%. "Credit Union Times is really the only true independent publication in the industry. Our only job is to report the news objectivley. Being independent helps us do that," said Welch. [email protected]