Local newspaper circulation down 14.3 percent!

A few of my clients still incorporate a small percentage of their ad dollars in newspaper, so I do my best to keep my finger on the pulse of local print. The Dallas Business Journal had a great article on-line yesterday reporting on the state of circulation (or lack of) for The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! - Curt

Report: Newspaper circulation down 2 percent
Dallas Business Journal - 2:05 PM CDT Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Several big-city newspapers endured big-time drops in circulation as the hard-hit industry continues to lose readers.

Daily newspaper circulation -- from metro newspapers such The New York Times and Los Angeles Times to the small dailies -- declined 2.1 percent, and Sunday readership fell 3.1 percent during the past six months, compared to the year ago October through March period, according to an Audit Bureau of Circulation report released Monday.

Fifteen of the nation's 20 largest newspapers reported drops in readership, led by The Dallas Morning News' 14.3 percent tumble to 411,919 readers. However, it's the first time the Dallas newspaper has participated in the report since 2004, when it was censured for misstating circulation figures.

Newsday of Long Island and The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., reported 6 percent-plus declines in readership, the largest drops following the Morning News. Daily circulation at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram dropped 3.6 percent.

The Miami Herald's daily circulation fell 5.5 percent, while Sunday readership plummeted 10.1 percent, according to an analysis of the ABC report by Editor & Publisher magazine.
Shares of McClatchy (NYSE: MNI), which owns the Star-Telegram, were down 13 cents to $28.77 in trading Tuesday.

Belo Corp. (NYSE: BLC) shares were down 4 cents Tuesday morning to $19.23. Belo owns The Dallas Morning News.

Two of the nation's largest daily newspapers -- USA Today and The Wall Street Journal -- were two of the five top 20 newspapers that reported an increased in readers. Gannett Co. Inc.-owned USA Today's daily readership inched up 0.2 percent to 2.3 million, while The Wall Street Journal gained 0.6 percent circulation to 2.1 million readers.

The New York Post reported a 7.6 percent increase to almost 725,000 daily readers, easily the largest gain in readers. The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Plain Dealer of Cleveland also bucked the national trend, with half-percentage point gains, according to the closely watched industry report.