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| Newspaper Circulation Declines 2.6 Percent |
| 2006-05-08 |
| EFL and Nuggets Newspaper circulation fell 2.6 percent in the six-month period ending in March, according to data released Monday, as the industry continued to struggle with competition from other media outlets and the Internet. The decline in average paid weekday circulation was about the same as the previous time newspapers reported six-month circulation figures for the period ending last September, according to the Newspaper Association of America, a trade group. The NAA reported that average paid circulation at Sunday newspapers fell 3.1 percent versus the same period a year ago, also a comparable decline with the last time circulation figures were reported. Despite the declines in paid copies, the industry group reported Monday that newspaper-run Web sites had an 8 percent increase in viewers in the first quarter. The data from Nielsen/NetRatings found that newspaper Web sites averaged 56 million users in the period, or 37 percent of all online users in the period, the NAA said. Gannett Co.'s USA Today remained the top-selling newspaper with 2,272,815 copies, up 0.09 percent from the same period a year ago; while The Wall Street Journal, published by Dow Jones & Co., was second with 2,049,786, down 1 percent. Several top newspapers reported significant declines in the period, including Tribune Co.'s Los Angeles Times, down 5.4 percent at 851,832; The Washington Post, down 3.7 percent at 724,242; the New York Daily News, also down 3.7 percent at 708,477. News Corp.'s New York Post slipped 0.7 percent to 673,379. The largest slump at a major daily came at the San Francisco Chronicle, where average paid weekday circulation fell 15.6 percent to 398,246 as the newspaper continued to cut back on less desirable circulation such as copies paid for by advertisers and then distributed for free. |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #10 They know, they just don't want to hear it. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-05-08 18:59 |
| #9 With what it costs to replace a long term customer with a new one, I am still amazed I never got a call from the Chicago Tribune after canceling my subscription last year that I originated in 1990. A simple "wuz up?'call would have told them exactly why I was leaving... I found the daily coverage of the Iraq war lop sided and lacking credibility. I'd think they would want to have known this stuff... |
| Posted by: Capsu 78 2006-05-08 18:49 |
| #8 Birdcage liner shortage crisis in 7,6,5... |
| Posted by: Phomoger Phairt9809 2006-05-08 17:54 |
| #7 Ohhh, and after I didn't renew the WSJ, they offered $100/yr w/net access. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2006-05-08 16:22 |
| #6 WSj's biz news may be unequalled, but I've made some decent money off of IBD's stock picks. more than enough to cover my subscription. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2006-05-08 16:22 |
| #5 seafarious: WaPo's biggest income is coming from its Kaplan Education division (coaching for SAT, GRE, LSATs etc...) Not by much. Kaplan is also the lowest margin business (operating profit divided by revenue). The newspaper business has an operating margin of 15% compared to the Kaplan division's 11%. Makes sense, too - with newspapers, it's write once, sell many copies. A Kaplan instructor can only teach so many classes in front of so many students every day. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-05-08 14:32 |
| #4 WaPo's biggest income is coming from its Kaplan Education division (coaching for SAT, GRE, LSATs etc...) |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-05-08 13:54 |
| #3 BP: So LeftWingViewsPapers lose customers faster. I doubt it - the Wall Street Journal's news pages are more left wing than the New York Times, and few people buy the Journal just for the conservative editorial section. Fact is that people read the Journal for in-depth business news, and there are no free substitutes available - the Journal is one of the few paid subscription-only newspapers on the Internet, and its business coverage is unequalled, despite the liberal bias. Ironically, I think the New York Times and WaPo would make more money if they made their internet edition paid subscription only. Nonetheless, they're both better-run than Dow Jones and Company, the Journal's parent - their profit margins are much higher. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-05-08 12:52 |
| #2 So LeftWingViewsPapers lose customers faster. Maybe someone in the Medja will notice? |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2006-05-08 12:44 |
| #1 Not real surprising. Free news over the internet is taking its toll. I don't think the news wire services are benefitting either - they're migrating from a model of selling wire stories to a lot of small newspapers to dealing with internet behemoths like Yahoo, Time Warner and MSN. Their ability to set prices has gone into the toilet. Their stories are still being read - perhaps more widely than ever, but the revenues per story are getting crunched. The $15 monthly New York Times or WaPo subscription is now going towards the cable, broadband or Netflix bill. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-05-08 12:43 |