New circulation figures again ugly

[Frank_Ridgeway]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Headlines/abc-releases-fasfax-reports-64937-.aspx#

TOP 25 U.S. DAILY NEWSPAPERS
By total average circulation



1. Wall Street Journal; 2,117,796
2. USA Today; 1,829,099
3. New York Times; 916,911
4. Los Angeles Times; 605,243
5. San Jose Mercury News; 577,665 (including 370,126 from branded editions)
6. Washington Post; 550,821
7. New York Daily News; 530,924
8. New York Post; 522,874
9. Chicago Tribune; 437,205
10. Chicago Sun-Times; 419,409 (168,299)
11. Dallas Morning News; 404,951 (153,441)
12. Houston Chronicle; 364,724 (40,726)
13. Philadephia Inquirer; 343,710 (71,128)
14. Arizona Republic; 337,170
15. Denver Post; 324,970
16. Newsday; 298,759
17. Star Tribune; 296,605
18. St. Petersburg Times; 292,441 (17,249)
19. Oregonian; 260,248
20. Cleveland Plain Dealer; 254,372
21. Seattle Times; 253,742
22. Detroit Free Press; 246,169
23. San Francisco Chronicle; 235,350
24. Newark Star Ledger; 229,255
25. Boston Globe; 219,214



TOP 25 U.S. SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS
By total average circulation



1. New York Times; 1,339,462
2. Los Angeles Times; 948,889
3. Washington Post; 852,861 (including 101,448 from branded editions)
4. Chicago Tribune; 780,601
5. San Jose Mercury News; 636,999 (400,129)
6. Detroit Free Press; 614,226 (133,883)
7. Houston Chronicle; 587,984 (75,842)
8. New York Daily News; 584,658
9. Denver Post; 519,838 (36,641)
10. Star Tribune; 516,134 (20,095)
11. Arizona Republic; 511,764
12. Philadelphia Inquirer; 488,287
13. St. Petersburg Times; 429,048
14. Chicago Sun-Times; 421,453 (170,545)
15. Cleveland Plain Dealer; 403,001 (60,318)
16. Atlanta Journal-Constitution; 391,815
17. Dallas Morning News; 375,100 (12,131)
18. Newsday; 362,221
19. St. Louis Post-Dispatch; 360,450
20. Boston Globe; 356,632
21. New York Post; 355,784
22. Seattle Times; 346,991
23. Baltimore Sun; 343,552
24. Newark Star-Ledger; 337,416
25. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; 333,999

 

[lcjjdnh]

Branded Editions: The Repo 105 of Journalism!

 

[Michael_ Gee]

When the Herald had its big reduction in force in 2005 and I was among the reduced, the paper's circulation had fallen dramatically to a little less than 240,000 -- or more than Globe has now. Yikes.

 

[lcjjdnh]

Is there any comprehensive staffer data for these newspapers? Curious what the circulation:newsroom ratio is.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

The Boston Globe numbers are stunning. I'm even more surprised that the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel don't crack the top 25.

 

[MileHigh]

The Boston Globe numbers are stunning. I'm even more surprised that the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel don't crack the top 25.

Thought the same things. Especially the Florida papers because this reporting period was during the winter, when they get a lot of snowbirds down there.

 

[BTExpress]

I'm even more surprised that the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel don't crack the top 25.

Sun Sentinel has consistently ranked about 35-40. Never approached top 25 even during snowbird season.

Last daily number for Miami Herald I saw was around 160,000, a staggering drop from just a few years ago.

 

[MileHigh]

I'm even more surprised that the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel don't crack the top 25.

Sun Sentinel has consistently ranked about 35-40. Never approached top 25 even during snowbird season.

Last daily number for Miami Herald I saw was around 160,000, a staggering drop from just a few years ago.

Worse than that, which really is sad. In the reporting period ending Sept. 30, it was 151,612 M-F, 127,230 on Saturday and 214,891 on Sunday.

 

[podunk press]

I don't know what's so surprising about this.

I don't know a single person my age (20s) who owns a newspaper subscription. The only ones that buy them do so because they love couponing. Don't even look at the stories.

 

[BTExpress]

To be fair, ABC changed its metrics, and thus a 20,000 "decline" may not be any decline at all. They're just counting differently.

I don't know a single person my age (20s) who owns a newspaper subscription.

That's always been true, though.

 

[Versatile]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Headlines/abc-releases-fasfax-reports-64937-.aspx#

TOP 25 U.S. DAILY NEWSPAPERS
By total average circulation



1. Wall Street Journal; 2,117,796
2. USA Today; 1,829,099
3. New York Times; 916,911
4. Los Angeles Times; 605,243
5. San Jose Mercury News; 577,665 (including 370,126 from branded editions)
6. Washington Post; 550,821
7. New York Daily News; 530,924
8. New York Post; 522,874
9. Chicago Tribune; 437,205
10. Chicago Sun-Times; 419,409 (168,299)
11. Dallas Morning News; 404,951 (153,441)
12. Houston Chronicle; 364,724 (40,726)
13. Philadephia Inquirer; 343,710 (71,128)
14. Arizona Republic; 337,170
15. Denver Post; 324,970
16. Newsday; 298,759
17. Star Tribune; 296,605
18. St. Petersburg Times; 292,441 (17,249)
19. Oregonian; 260,248
20. Cleveland Plain Dealer; 254,372
21. Seattle Times; 253,742
22. Detroit Free Press; 246,169
23. San Francisco Chronicle; 235,350
24. Newark Star Ledger; 229,255
25. Boston Globe; 219,214



TOP 25 U.S. SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS
By total average circulation



1. New York Times; 1,339,462
2. Los Angeles Times; 948,889
3. Washington Post; 852,861 (including 101,448 from branded editions)
4. Chicago Tribune; 780,601
5. San Jose Mercury News; 636,999 (400,129)
6. Detroit Free Press; 614,226 (133,883)
7. Houston Chronicle; 587,984 (75,842)
8. New York Daily News; 584,658
9. Denver Post; 519,838 (36,641)
10. Star Tribune; 516,134 (20,095)
11. Arizona Republic; 511,764
12. Philadelphia Inquirer; 488,287
13. St. Petersburg Times; 429,048
14. Chicago Sun-Times; 421,453 (170,545)
15. Cleveland Plain Dealer; 403,001 (60,318)
16. Atlanta Journal-Constitution; 391,815
17. Dallas Morning News; 375,100 (12,131)
18. Newsday; 362,221
19. St. Louis Post-Dispatch; 360,450
20. Boston Globe; 356,632
21. New York Post; 355,784
22. Seattle Times; 346,991
23. Baltimore Sun; 343,552
24. Newark Star-Ledger; 337,416
25. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; 333,999

FWIW, WSJ's number includes digital subscribers, while USAT doesn't have digital subscribers but is the most widely circulated print edition in the country. Also FWIW, both WSJ and USAT give away a ton of papers.

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if their numbers dropped by 500,000 once you took out the numbers of papers given away to business schools (WSJ) and hotels (USAT) throughout the country.

 

[flexmaster33]

ouch

 

[Raiders]

Those Miami Herald numbers are staggering. Didn't that paper used to go 300,000 on weekdays and 400,000 on Sundays? I wonder how many other big-city papers took that big a fall.

 

[LanceyHoward]

Those Miami Herald numbers are staggering. Didn't that paper used to go 300,000 on weekdays and 400,000 on Sundays? I wonder how many other big-city papers took that big a fall.

These circ numbers are inflated because ABC changed the underlying methodology. Poynter has an explanation that I don't really understand.

But the San Franciso Chronicle, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Boston Globe and the Dallas Morning News are all down close to 50%. There are probably more but those jump out at me.

And for the Chicago Tribune to be down to 437,000 is something I find staggering.

 

[BYH]

Count me among those floored by the Globe's decline.

This is what happens when you cut the paper in half, double the price and run off your core readership. There. What happened to newspapers in 20 words. Where's my six-figure consultant salary?

 

[JayFarrar]

To be fair, ABC changed its metrics, and thus a 20,000 "decline" may not be any decline at all. They're just counting differently.

I don't know a single person my age (20s) who owns a newspaper subscription.

That's always been true, though.

I'll need to see if I can find a link but I saw an article not that long ago that said college newspaper readership, the actual print edition, was through the roof on campuses.

when people have an investment in their community, they want to know what is going on and will read the paper to find out. it is the one thing that gives me hope.

 

[KJIM]

This looks like it's from 2008, but I'm not sure.

http://www.marketingvox.com/college-students-addicted-to-college-newspapers-039002/

"Despite declines in mainstream newspaper readership, college newspapers are an integral part of students' lives, with over three-quarters (76 percent) of them saying they have read their college newspaper in the past month, according to a recent Alloy Media + Marketing study, MarketingCharts reports."

but there might have been something more recently, because this blog

http://www.paperviews.org/2011/04/20/college-newspaper-readership-to-the-rescue/

Appears to be recent.

"This 'stroll down memory lane' came to mind as I read of a recent readership survey of more than 1200 college students at 550 colleges across all 50 states conducted by Alloy Media & Marketing showing that 76 % of the students had read their college newspaper in the past month."

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Think of what the circulation numbers will be after the Baby Boomers die out.

Newspapers will practically seek to exist and 2007-2011 will seem like the good old days.

 

[lcjjdnh]

To be fair, ABC changed its metrics, and thus a 20,000 "decline" may not be any decline at all. They're just counting differently.

I don't know a single person my age (20s) who owns a newspaper subscription.

That's always been true, though.

I'll need to see if I can find a link but I saw an article not that long ago that said college newspaper readership, the actual print edition, was through the roof on campuses.

when people have an investment in their community, they want to know what is going on and will read the paper to find out. it is the one thing that gives me hope.

More likely, kids like doing the crossword puzzle in class.

 

[lcjjdnh]

Count me among those floored by the Globe's decline.

This is what happens when you cut the paper in half, double the price and run off your core readership. There. What happened to newspapers in 20 words. Where's my six-figure consultant salary?

Or what happens what happens when a new technology-the Internet-usurps your biggest asset-your local monopoly over the delivery system. That-and thus ads, real estate listings, and, as Craigslist showed, classifieds-drove newspaper profits, not editorial content. Once you eliminated competitors, the high fixed costs made it difficult for any new competitor to challenge an incumbent, regardless of the quality of the publication. (Inner-city traffic, in fact, helped lead to the demise of afternoon newspaper.)

Truth is, newspapers don't really make sense as a product in an Internet world. There really isn't any need to bundle most of the information they provide in one place. Readers don't need the vast majority of what newspapers produce. And it's not just that quality has declined as staffs have been cut. Large numbers of readers probably received the newspaper because they wanted TV listings, box scores, movie times, ads, etc.-you can easily get that elsewhere now. The Internet rendered even services like stuffing your paper with AP copy of foreign and national news irrelevant.