Posted on 11/02/2004 6:08:35 AM PST by OESY
The release of the six-month circulation figures for U.S. daily newspapers showed big declines at Tribune Co.'s Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune.
The newspaper industry's twice-yearly circulation report showed modest circulation declines at many dailies, continuing a two-decade-long trend.
The latest report, released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, is being studied especially closely by advertisers and Wall Street. It marks the first industry circulation data since several major newspapers reported overstatements this year, beginning with scandals in June at Tribune's Newsday and Spanish-language Hoy.
Subsequently, Hollinger International Inc.'s Chicago Sun-Times and Belo Corp.'s Dallas Morning News also admitted to overstatements, raising the question of whether there might be further unreported inaccuracies with newspaper-circulation figures, which are used to help calculate advertising rates. The latter two papers, along with Newsday and Hoy -- which also had to re-report circulation figures -- were excluded from the ABC report.
Because of the circulation scandals, some analysts had worried that there would be bigger circulation declines in the industry as publishers lowered their figures to conform with ABC guidelines....
For the six months ended Sept. 30, Monday-through-Saturday average daily circulation declined 5.6% at the Los Angeles Times, owned by Tribune, compared with the year-earlier period. Sunday circulation dropped 6.3%. The newspaper said it deliberately reduced third-party-sponsored home delivery, in which advertisers and businesses pay for the subscriptions.
The Times also cut back on single-copy bulk sales. The Times's publisher said these circulation methods are "less profitable" than other methods. The newspaper also blamed the new "do-not-call" law that prevented telemarketers from soliciting subscriptions.
In the latest period, Monday-through-Friday daily circulation at the Chicago Tribune was down 2.4% from a year earlier. Home-delivery circulation declined slightly, while single-copy and other paid circulation decreased at a greater rate....
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Printing the truth gets the largest gain...
Los Angeles Times* 902,164 -5.6
San Francisco Chronicle* 480,587 -6.3
Printing socialist propaganda gets the largest loss...
The 'New Media Pajamahadeen' rocks -- the 'Old Establishment Media'!
Is USA TODAY circulation up due to all the "free" copies dropped at the doors of hotel/motel guests? More travelers, more circulation.....
Heheheheheheheheheheheheheheh
As someone who suffered with the constant evening calls from the LA Times telemarketing folks for a number of years, I can only rejoice at that news. The LA Times newspaper is dying ... and deserves to.
THe NY Post might be more "conservative" than their competitors, but in many ways their political slant is damn near as offensive as the NY Times.
Wonder how its doing since it went to 75 cents when you do pay for it?
Sad to see the Wall Street Journal still trailing that journal of cartoons, "USA Today".
I wonder how many of those USA Today copies are give aways at thousands of hotel rooms and airliners?
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