The daily circulation of the Post slumped in the final years of the Schiff era from 700,000 in the late 1960s[citation needed] to approximately 418,000.[citation needed] A resurgence in the 21st century boosted circulation to more than 660,000 in 2006,[30] achieved partly by lowering the price from 50 to 25 cents. Three of every four Post readers read another paper as well.[citation needed] The Post sold 753,116 column inches of display ads in 2004, only about 45% as much as was run in the New York Daily News.[citation needed]
News Corp. does not release figures, but outsiders estimate the newspaper has been losing $15-30 million a year,[citation needed] and some speculate[citation needed] Murdoch operates the paper at a loss because of the political influence the newspaper affords him. Industry experts suggest that the Post cannot become profitable as long as the competing Daily News survives, and he may be trying to force that paper to fold or sell out.[31]