US Newspaper Circulations Slide More
Nearly every major U.S. newspaper suffered circulation declines in the past six months, according to the newspaper industry’s twice-yearly report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the latest confirmation of the difficulties facing the industry as readers flock to the Web and other outlets for news.
Average daily circulation of the 770 newspapers reporting results to the ABC dropped 2.8% on a year-to-year basis during the six months ended Sept. 30, according to an analysis from the Newspaper Association of America, an industry-trade group. The drop in circulation follows a decline of 2.5% during the reporting period ended March 31 of this year and a 2.6% decline in the year-earlier period. Average Sunday circulation at 619 of the country’s newspapers fell 3.4% in the most recent six months, according to the NAA. The circulation figures are preliminary and subject to audit by the ABC.
The circulation report, which comes on the heels of several major publishers reporting weaker ad revenue for the third quarter, is likely to reinforce concerns among investors about the industry’s prospects. Those concerns have prompted some investors to push companies such as Tribune Co. to restructure or put themselves on the market.
Top 20 US Newspaper by circulation:
Newspaper Circulation Change from Mar-Sept. 2006
1. USA Today 2,269,509 -1.30%
2. The Wall Street Journal 2,043,235 -1.90%
3. The New York Times 1,086,798 -3.50%
4. Los Angeles Times 775,766 -8%
5. New York Post 704,011 5.10%
6. New York Daily News 693,382 1%
7. The Washington Post 656,297 -3.30%
8. Chicago Tribune 576,132 -1.70%
9. Houston Chronicle 508,097 -3.70%
10. Newsday, Long Island 410,579 -5%
11. The Arizona Republic 397,294 -2.60%
12. The Boston Globe 386,415 -6.70%
13. The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., 378,100 -5.50%
14. San Francisco Chronicle 373,805 -5.40%
15. Star Tribune of Minneapolis-St. Paul 358,887 -4.20%
16. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 350,157 -3.50%
17. The Plain Dealer, Cleveland 336,939 -0.60%
18. The Philadelphia Inquirer 330,622 -7.60%
19. Detroit Free Press 328,628 -3.60%
20. The Oregonian 310,803 -6.80%
