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Letter to the editor

Times defies industry's dip

Its small circulation gains are unmatched among other large U.S. papers, plagued by a downward trend.

By HELEN HUNTLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published November 6, 2007

Sections come off the press run at the St. Petersburg Times plant on Monday evening. The combined audience of unduplicated print and online readers is 1.2-million, the Audit Bureau says.
	[Dirk Shadd | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Dirk Shadd | Times] Rolls of newsprint, 2,000 pounds each, will be printed and cut into St. Petersburg Times pages at the paper's 34th Street N plant.

Most Florida newspapers lost readers during the six months ended in September, reflecting a state and national trend of the past several years.

Tough times continue in the newspaper industry, but the St. Petersburg Times has managed to buck the trend this year, reporting modest circulation gains Monday.

The Times was the only newspaper among the 25 largest in the country to increase circulation both daily and Sunday for the six months ended in September.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations said the 700 daily newspapers it audits lost an average of 2.6 percent of their circulation daily and 3.5 percent Sunday.

The Times' circulation was up less than 1 percent for both, reaching 288,807 daily and 389,952 Sunday. The biggest gain, not included in those numbers, was on Saturdays, when circulation rose by 7,058 papers to 312,641, an increase of 2.3 percent. Jerry Hill, Times director of audience development, attributed the gains to continued sales and marketing efforts.

"We're especially encouraged by our strong growth in Tampa and Hillsborough County," said Paul Tash, Times editor and chairman.

The Times, the state's largest newspaper, widened its lead over the Miami Herald, which dropped 12.9 percent of its Sunday circulation. That allowed the Orlando Sentinel to pass the Herald and claim second place on Sundays. Sentinel officials credited improved customer service and subscription marketing efforts.

The Tampa Tribune lost more than 5 percent of its circulation both daily and Sunday. "We've made decisions to focus on the circulation that is most beneficial to advertisers," said vice president of circulation Graham Annett. He said the newspaper pulled back from three areas.

Besides traditional circulation statistics, the Audit Bureau on Monday released its first report measuring newspapers' total audience based on surveys asking people which publications they have read and which Web sites they have visited.

The Times' combined audience of unduplicated print and online readers was 1.2-million. The Tampa Tribune also reported an audience of 1.2-million, based on its higher online readership numbers. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel claimed the largest audience in the state, 1.4-million.

The Audit Bureau's numbers do not include the Times' free daily tabloid, tbt* Tampa Bay Times, which now has a distribution of more than 370,000 copies a week.

Helen Huntley can be reached at huntley@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8230.

Newspaper circulation figures

St. Petersburg Times
Average daily circulation: 288,807
Change from year ago: + 128 (0.0%)
Average Sunday circulation: 389,952
Change from year ago: + 3,288 (+ 0.9%)


Orlando Sentinel
Average daily circulation: 213,406
Change from year ago: - 879 (- 0.4%)
Average Sunday circulation: 318,394
Change from year ago: + 1,167 (+ 0.4%)

Miami Herald
Average daily circulation: 239,389
Change from year ago: - 19, 887 (- 7.7%)
Average Sunday circulation: 307,431
Change from year ago: - 45,641 (- 12.9%)

South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Average daily circulation: 202,421
Change from year ago: - 19,763 (- 8.9%)
Average Sunday circulation: 285,559
Change from year ago: - 19,277 (- 6.3%)

Tampa Tribune
Average daily circulation: 192,249
Change from year ago: - 11,926 (- 5.8%)
Average Sunday circulation: 261,872
Change from year ago: - 16,540 (- 5.9%)

Florida Times Union
Average daily circulation: 146,303
Change from year ago: - 4,294 (- 2.9%)
Average Sunday circulation: 205,605
Change from year ago: - 7,086 (- 3.3%)

Palm Beach Post
Average daily circulation: 145,516
Change from year ago: - 8,562 (- 5.6%)
Average Sunday circulation: 176,643
Change from year ago: - 7,800 (- 4.2%)

Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations *Monday through Friday

How the nation's largest fared*

USA Today: +1.04%

Wall Street Journal: -1.5%

New York Times: -4.5%

Los Angeles Times: +0.5%

Chicago Tribune: -2.9%

*Change in average circulation, Monday through Friday

Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations

[Last modified November 6, 2007, 06:46:01]