Newspaper Circulation Declines

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Growing Internet readership of news may have helped to accelerate a drop in U.S. newspaper circulation in the six months through March, with the Los Angeles Times reporting a 5.4 percent decline to 851,832, according to a report released Monday.


Daily circulation for 770 U.S. newspapers fell 2.6 percent from a year ago to 45.4 million, according to Newspaper Association of America, which cited unaudited preliminary figures reported to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.


Circulation dropped at seven of the nation’s 10 largest dailies, with the San Francisco Chronicle reporting the steepest decline, down 15.6 percent to 398,246, as the paper continued to cut less desirable circulation such as copies paid for by advertisers and then distributed free. The L.A. Times had earlier undergone a similar culling of promotional sales.


Average paid circulation at Sunday newspapers around the country was down 3.1 percent. Sunday circulation at the Times was down 1.8 percent 1,231,318, the Times said in a separate release.


An analysis by the Newspaper Association of America, which prefers to tout readership figures over number of papers sold, noted that the total combined circulation of the top 50 newspapers represents only about one-third of the total daily print newspaper audience, and about 37 percent of the total Sunday print audience.


The online audience for newspapers hit record levels in the first quarter of 2006, with more than one in three of all Internet users visiting a newspaper Web site over the course of a month, the newspaper trade group said. It cited a Nielsen//NetRatings survey indicating newspaper Web sites averaged 56 million users, an 8 percent increase from a year ago.


Times officials said their figures showed double-digit growth in readership in Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, as well as double-digit Sunday circulation growth in the Inland Empire.


“Our March statement reflects our ongoing focus on home delivery circulation, the part of our readership that means the most to our advertisers, while selectively reducing other paid copies,” said Times Publisher Jeff Johnson in a statement. “With more than 4.6 million adults reading The Times and more than 1.7 million visiting latimes.com every week, our reach surpasses that of any radio, TV, online or print product in this market.”

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