http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-newspapers3106oct31,0,3081461.story?coll=orl-business-headlines
Florida's newspapers post declines in circulation
Tim Barker
Sentinel Staff Writer
October 31, 2006
Newspaper circulation across the state took another dip during the latest six-month reporting period.
Average weekday circulation -- a key industry measure -- fell 2.7 percent to 2.4 million for the bulk of the state's daily papers, according to the latest figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. At least two newspapers did not file in time to be included in the report.
Leading the decline was The Miami Herald, which saw its average weekday circulation fall nearly 9 percent to 265,583. Circulation at the state's largest newspaper, the St. Petersburg Times, fell 3.2 percent to 288,676.
The Orlando Sentinel's average daily circulation fell 2.5 percent to 214,283 -- performing slightly better than the state as a whole. Sunday circulation, however, dropped 4.3 percent, compared with a 3.8 percent drop for the entire state.
The Sentinel's circulation has fallen significantly during the past few years following a decision to cut back on distribution through area hotels. Two years ago, the paper boasted a circulation of nearly 250,000.
"We've focused our attention on building overall newspaper and Web audience, and stabilizing Orlando Sentinel's circulation in our core market," said Avido Khahaifa, general manager for Orlando Sentinel Communications.
The Miami Herald is employing a similar strategy -- accounting for its significant decline -- eliminating circulation with lesser appeal to advertisers interested in reaching Miami residents, rather than tourists.
"Most of the decline is attributable to a planned reduction in circulation," said Robert Beatty, a spokesman for the Herald.
These declines are hardly new for an industry that continues to struggle to retain readers at a time when the media is increasingly fragmented. Competition comes from television, radio, cable, satellite and the Internet.
Nationwide, average weekday circulation for the six-month period ending Sept. 30, 2006, declined 2.8 percent. Sunday circulation fell 3.4 percent.
"It isn't something that just started to happen last week," said John Kimball, chief marketing officer for the Newspaper Association of America.
The industry, he said, is in a state of transition from a pure newspaper product to one that offers a variety of ways for subscribers to get their news. Judging a newspaper by its paid circulation is an increasingly flawed system, he said.
"Other media are measured by viewership, not by how many television sets are purchased," Kimball said.
Newspaper Web sites are an increasingly important component for the industry. According to the association's analysis of more than 100 top newspapers, Web sites generated significant increases in readers. Total audience grew an average of 8 percent for those newspapers.
Still, not every paper in Florida saw a decline in circulation, with five of the state's smaller papers reporting gains. The largest increase? The Villages Daily Sun saw its average weekday circulation surge 14.6 percent to 26,128.
Tim Barker can be reached at 407-420-5022 or tbarker@orlandosentinel.com.
http://www.startribune.com/535/story/777385.html
Circulation falls at Star Tribune, many major papers
Staff and wire reports
The Star Tribune and most other big daily newspapers continued to lose circulation in the six months ended in September, according to data released Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Average daily circulation for the Star Tribune declined to 358,887, down 4.2 percent from the year-ago period, and average Sunday circulation dropped 6.4 percent to 596,333. That makes the Star Tribune the 15th-largest U.S. newspaper in daily circulation (or the 13th-largest metro daily excluding national dailies USA Today and the Wall Street Journal). On Sundays, the Star Tribune ranked 10th in circulation, according to the bureau's audit for the period ended Sept. 24.
Average daily circulation for all reporting U.S. newspapers was down 2.8 percent, while Sunday circulation was down about 3.4 percent, according to Newspaper Association of America calculations.
U.S. newspaper circulation has been declining steadily on an annual basis since 1987, according to the association, as papers face increasing competition for consumers' time and attention from other media such as the Internet and cable television.
Of the 25 largest newspapers, only three showed growth in daily circulation: the New York Post, up 5.1 percent to 704,011; the New York Daily News, up 1 percent to 693,382, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, up 0.7 percent to 276,588.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press also registered circulation gains, rising 0.2 percent to a daily average of 188,427 and up 0.2 percent to a Sunday average of 245,597, the newspaper reported. The increases "confirm the Pioneer Press' momentum and the success of our local news strategy," Publisher Par Ridder said in a prepared statement.
Ben Taylor, Star Tribune senior vice president for marketing and communications, blamed the Star Tribune's circulation decline largely on "do not call" laws; newspapers no longer can rely on telemarketing to sell more subscriptions. He said, however, that despite lower circulation, readership continues to grow.
The Star Tribune is now reaching 37 percent of its market, he said, up from 35.5 percent a year ago, which he attributed to the newspaper's redesign last year. "We're focused on increasing readership," Taylor said.