ABC - March 2009

[derwood]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003966608

USA TODAY -- 2,113,725 – (-7.46%)
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL -- 2,082,189 -- 0.61%
THE NEW YORK TIMES -- 1,039,031 -- (-3.55%)
LOS ANGELES TIMES -- 723,181 -- (-6.55%)
THE WASHINGTON POST -- 665,383 -- (-1.16%)

DAILY NEWS (NEW YORK) -- 602,857 -- (-14.26%)
NEW YORK POST -- 558,140 -- (-20.55%)
CHICAGO TRIBUNE -- 501,202 -- (-7.47%)
HOUSTON CHRONICLE -- 425,138 -- (-13.96%)
THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC -- 389,701 -- (-5.72%)

THE DENVER POST (02/28/2009 to 03/31/2009) -- 371,728 -- N/A
NEWSDAY -- 368,194 -- (-3.01%)
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS -- 331,907 -- (-9.88%)
STAR-TRIBUNE, MINNEAPOLIS -- 320,076 -- (-0.71%)
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES -- 312,141 -- (-0.04%)

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- 312,118 -- (-15.72%)
THE BOSTON GLOBE -- 302,638 -- (-13.68%)
THE PLAIN DEALER, CLEVELAND -- 291,630 -- (-11.70%)
DETROIT FREE PRESS -- 290,730 -- (-5.90%)
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER -- 288,298 -- (-13.72%)

THE STAR-LEDGER, NEWARK, N.J. -- 287,082 -- (-16.82%)
ST. PETERSBURG (FLA.) TIMES -- 283,093 -- (-10.42%)
THE OREGONIAN, PORTLAND -- 268,512 -- (-11.76%)
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION -- 261,828 -- (-19.91%)
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE -- 261,253 -- (-9.53%)

 

[Rockbottom]

Translation ... Let's all go work for the WSJ!

But seriously ... That is a TON of double-digit percentage losses. I would be interested to see how my former stops fared as well.

RB

 

[SixToe]

The AJC has lost almost 20 percent? Wow.

 

[JackReacher]

The AJC has lost almost 20 percent? Wow.

That's flat-out scary.

 

[FileNotFound]

Counterpoint: http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2009/04/27/news-circ-down-10-why-thats-good/

Summary: Getting rid of junk circulation in outlying areas that is less valuable to advertisers, while raising the price of the publication, is actually a good idea.

Discuss.

 

[mediaguy]

Always good when the lucky papers are the ones seeing less than 10 percent hits in circulation. Honestly, I would have thought the numbers would be worse -- if you told me six of the largest 15 papers had taken less than a 5 percent hit, I would be surprised.

 

[da man]

The AJC has lost almost 20 percent? Wow.

That's flat-out scary.

It shouldn't surprise anyone considering what has been done to that newsroom.

Deliver less of a product and fewer people are going to want it, no?

 

[Shifty Squid]

The AJC has lost almost 20 percent? Wow.

That's flat-out scary.

Yeah, that's the first thing I looked for and noticed. Ugh.

On the (slightly) bright side, the Sun-Times looks steady. And the NYT and WaPo might just look at their drops as acceptable, given what's happening around them.

 

[SixToe]

Of course. Smaller product, narrow focus, reduced staff, loss of recognizable writers and increased prices ... bravo!

 

[Football_Bat]

Counterpoint: http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2009/04/27/news-circ-down-10-why-thats-good/

Summary: Getting rid of junk circulation in outlying areas that is less valuable to advertisers, while raising the price of the publication, is actually a good idea.

Discuss.

So next year they marginalize 10% more of their readers by jacking up prices while slashing the product. Lather, rinse, repeat. Sounds like a winning business strategy to me. Not.

 

[RickStain]

Counterpoint: http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2009/04/27/news-circ-down-10-why-thats-good/

Summary: Getting rid of junk circulation in outlying areas that is less valuable to advertisers, while raising the price of the publication, is actually a good idea.

Discuss.

That's "good" in the same sense that cutting off a gangrenous limb is good. Yes, it had to be done given the circumstances, but the circumstances suck donkey balls.

 

[mustangj17]

Counterpoint: http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2009/04/27/news-circ-down-10-why-thats-good/

Summary: Getting rid of junk circulation in outlying areas that is less valuable to advertisers, while raising the price of the publication, is actually a good idea.

Discuss.

Raising the price is good.

A candy bar costs $1.00 why should a newspaper be 35 cents

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Counterpoint: http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2009/04/27/news-circ-down-10-why-thats-good/

Summary: Getting rid of junk circulation in outlying areas that is less valuable to advertisers, while raising the price of the publication, is actually a good idea.

Discuss.

Large newspapers have been doing this since at least the 1980s. It was called "vanity circulation" because it does nothing for you except make you look bigger. It does nothing for your advertisers if you're the L.A. Times and vending machines are being stocked all over Phoenix, as once was the case. And you probably lose money on the transportation costs.

 

[DanOregon]

The losses in circ are even more damning when you figure in most papers are selling the idea that circ isn't an adequate indicator and use "total readership" something like 2.4 people per paper, so that means you can more than double the total losses in readers.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

I'm surprised the losses aren't larger. Newspapers have been projecting an image of failure nonstop for the last six months.
1. People aren't stupid. They know they're getting a lousier product.
2. People ARE frontrunners. They are less likely to purchase a product that runs front page stories about its own imminent doom and general irrelevance.

 

[spnited]

And from the We Ain't Dead Yet files:
Some of us gained circulation.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003966696

 

[RickStain]

And from the We Ain't Dead Yet files:
Some of us gained circulation.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003966696

Did you gain revenue?

The circulation decline has always been, at best (worst?), a secondary reason for the Death Of Newspapers.

 

[dixiehack]

And from the We Ain't Dead Yet files:
Some of us gained circulation.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003966696

Y'all are doing a helluva job up there at Women's Wear Daily.

 

[SoCalDude]

30 percent increase? What is the miracle tonic in Memphis? Basketball??

 

[RickStain]

30 percent increase? What is the miracle tonic in Memphis? Basketball??

According to the link, they sold a bajillion online subscriptions through a Newspapers in Education program. Their regular circulation went down.