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Numbers bring bad news for papers
Circulation continues to fall at most big U.S. newspapers, although Web readership is up.
By HELEN HUNTLEY
Published May 9, 2006
The St. Petersburg Times and most of the nation's other big daily newspapers continue to lose circulation as people look to the Internet and other sources for news and information. Reports released Monday show that for the six months ending in March, the national average weekday circulation fell 2.5 percent and average Sunday circulation declined 3.1 percent compared with the same period a year ago. The Times' results were better on Sunday, where circulation was off just 2.2 percent, but worse Monday through Friday, where circulation fell 4.3 percent. One bright spot: Saturday circulation was up 1.4 percent. At the same time print circulation was falling, newspaper Web sites were setting new records, the Newspaper Association of America said. Newspaper Web site usage was up 8 percent over the same period a year ago, and more than one in three Web users visited a newspaper site each month. "The total Times audience has increased in a big way," said Times publisher Marty Petty. "They are still loyal Times customers, they just come to us in different ways."In addition to a revamped Web site www.tampabay.com, the Times now distributes more than 200,000 copies a week of tbt* Tampa Bay Times, a free weekday tabloid. Print circulation of the St. Petersburg Times was affected by a decline in seasonal residents, Petty said. "They came later and their stays were shorter." The Times remains the state's largest newspaper both daily and Sunday, and its largest competitors suffered more serious circulation declines. The Orlando Sentinel's circulation fell 8.3 percent daily and 7.5 percent Sunday. Most of that drop is the result of a decision to reduce copies distributed through hotels, spokeswoman Deborah Irwin said. The Miami Herald's circulation was off 5.9 percent daily and 9.2 percent Sunday. However, the Herald's Spanish-language newspaper, El Nuevo Herald, fared better - up 1 percent daily and down 2 percent Sunday. The Miami Herald reduced its international and state editions to place more emphasis on home delivery and single-copy sales, said Robert Beatty, vice president of public affairs. "We feel really good with regard to the steps we've taken to be more responsive to our advertisers," he said. The Tampa Tribune was down 1.1 percent daily and 1.7 percent Sunday. Graham Annett, the Tribune's vice president of circulation, said he was pleased the newspaper performed better than the industry average. "The focus for us is always on retention and driving loyalty," he said "We've seen an increase in loyalty of our subscribers as measured by people who sign up for longer-term payments, like 52 weeks." Nationally, USA Today, the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune posted gains of less than 1 percent. However, most big newspapers fared worse than the industry average. The San Francisco Chronicle's circulation dipped 15.6 percent daily, while the Baltimore Sun saw a 9.4 percent drop and the Boston Globe an 8.5 percent decline. Helen Huntley can be reached at hhuntley@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8230.
[Last modified May 9, 2006, 06:45:58]
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