Blogger Alan Mutter explains how the value of Florida's Daytona News-Journal sank by 93% in just four years -- and what that means for your newspaper. Plus, he offers a link to a handy Audit Bureau of Circulations database, where you can look up your paper's most recent circulation figures.
Related: You've got to love the positive spin the News-Journal put on the headline over this story today, disclosing that 10% of the 470 staffers are being pink-slipped by the new owner.
Monday, March 29, 2010
3 comments:
Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."
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If you are looking for a reason why the Dayton News Journal's circulation is collapsing in affluent Dayton, this story is evidence No. 1. They've kissed up to local political powers so much that readers are abandoning it in droves.
ReplyDeleteJim: I think there is some interesting data in that ABC report. I found it interesting that the Gannett Michigan paper in my community has saw a 35 percent decrease in daily circulation since 2004. This particular paper reported circ numbers of 72,000 daily back then. Now it is reporting daily numbers of roughly 46,000 in '09. Even more startlingly is that this newspaper saw a drop of more than 10,000 subscribers from the 2008 report to the one in 2009. I'm wondering if the '10 numbers will show declines of 10,000, too. It seems to me if the circ declines continue to trend downward for this particular newspaper at a similar five-year rate, this newspaper will cease to exist in less that 10 years. Or, at least be functioning with A LOT less employees.
ReplyDeleteAfter examining this particular publication's circ numbers, I saw an almost identical trend at most other newspapers. I'm sure that the statisticians at Gannett are aware of these trends, but I just wonder how many employees realize that the current decade will likely bring dramatic declines in circ, revenue and employees. Food for thought, at any rate.
11:39: Interesting, indeed. Still, many pubs have deliberately given up scads of less-affluent readers because advertisers don't want to pay to reach them.
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