Despite their limited circulations, small-market dailies provide fertile ground for PR pros looking to gain in-depth local coverage or reach diverse audiences.

The unrelenting residential sprawl occurring in many parts of the country is playing a role in keeping small daily newspapers alive and well.

"The dailies in the rural towns where the retail market has dried up and moved to regional shopping malls are struggling," says Brian Steffens, executive director of the National Newspaper Association. "But there are ...