Posted on 05/02/2005 1:19:45 PM PDT by Uncledave
Press Release Source: Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times Reports March Circulation Monday May 2, 3:00 pm ET
LOS ANGELES, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- For the six months ended March 31, 2005, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday-Saturday average daily circulation of 907,997, a decline of 6.5 percent compared with the prior year, and Sunday circulation of 1,253,849, a decline of 7.9 percent from the prior year, according to figures filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulations, subject to audit.
Excluding the effect of a reduction in third-party bulk sales, daily circulation would have declined 5.2 percent and Sunday would have declined 4.7 percent.
"These circulation declines are driven by the same issues that impacted our September circulation statement," said Jeffrey M. Johnson, Los Angeles Times executive vice president and general manager, who will become president, publisher and CEO on June 1. "These include the transition to more targeted sales channels from a heavy reliance on telemarketing and the decision to deliberately reduce certain types of circulation, such as third-party bulk sales. The reality is that it takes two six-month reporting statements to cycle through these changes.
"The Los Angeles Times continues to deliver the largest audience in Southern California with an average daily readership of 2.4 million and 3.5 million on Sunday, according to Scarborough 2004 Los Angeles Report. To strengthen this market position, we're investing in various strategies and programs to increase readership that should begin to show results in September," added Johnson.
The Times has taken the following actions:
* Launched a comprehensive $10 million consumer marketing campaign, including brand advertising and direct marketing efforts. * Appointed a veteran newspaper circulation executive to a newly created position of senior vice president, circulation to focus entirely on circulation sales and distribution. * Began executing new circulation programs to grow late-week circulation and Sunday readership.
"These investments are good examples of our long-term commitment to growing quality, responsive readership that delivers results to our advertisers," said Johnson.
The Los Angeles Times, a Tribune Publishing company, is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country and the winner of 37 Pulitzer Prizes, including two this year. The Times publishes five daily regional editions, including the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange and Ventura counties, the San Fernando Valley, and an Inland Empire edition covering Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well as a National edition. Additional information about The Times is available at www.latimes.com/mediacenter.
Crab wrapper
The San Jose Mercury News was calling me approximately 6 times per year over a period of 3 years. In addition, they were coming to my door about as frequently. One time, they came two days in a row. On the second day, i told the guy, "go back to your boss, and tell him if anyone from the paper calls me or comes to my house ever again I will file harrassment charges against the SJMN". That was that.
Save a tree - cancel your subscription.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch called, offering a discounted package on a 60 day subscription. I said, if you can deliver it to me here in the Ozarks woods, I'll pay for it. They asked, where are you, 'zactly ?
Add the loss of all GM advertisements on top of this and it brings a smile.
Not to be crude but the percent of population able to read an English version, 12th grade (?) reading level Paper, is diminished in L.A. It ain't because the population in and around L.A. are more conservative.
Wow! Really going out there to get new subscribers. Where next, Butcher Holler?
If their circulation is plummenting despite this relatively recent agressive sales effort then they must really be husting. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
Well...we do have some paved roads around here. Not all of em, but mostly.
I'm envious. The fewer paved roads, the better imo.
No crudeness taken, however, your scenario doesn't explain rapid and extensive subscription rates around the country.
I can step out my back door and fire off fireworks, shoot my guns, etc. I consider this an upgrade from Prior Lake.
This is a no brainer...who, what, where, why, when, and how. Leave the editorializing to one page...and mark it so. High school paper stuff.
No crudeness taken, however, your scenario doesn't explain rapid and extensive drops in subscription rates around the country.
This is good news and the trend is expected to continue. All print media is going down, except for the niche coffee table zines and books which are doing well...as can be expected.
The cheaper cost of Internet publishing is revolutionizing journalism. How? By offering readers more information – unprocessed and unfiltered – than newspapers ever could. Of course there's bias in everything that's written. So readers want to get all sides and that is what electronic journalism can do.
While it is fun to gloat over these numbers, i think it is the internets fault. One can go on FreeRepublic and stay uptodate with what is going on in the world, most often just as it is first reported. I don't know how often I climb out of the BART system (underground mass-transportation) and the newspaper headlines are item I had read 24 hours earlier right here.
Remember the magic words "Put me on your 'Do Not Call list'".
Also sign up for the national "Do not call list".
OK. Now you're just braggin'....
"These circulation declines are driven by the same issues that impacted our September circulation statement, . . ."
Actually, the issues that are driving the declines that impact the September circulation statement is that Los Angeles Times reporters and news editors lie through their Angeleno teeth.
Toilet paper is going to be scarce in La La land as the L.A. Times decline continues to escalate
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