Tuesday, March 06, 2012

By the numbers | USAT single-copy sales

Gannett filed its annual 10-K report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission late last month. This post is one in a series highlighting passages from the document. 

USA Today's big circulation losses in so-called "Blue Chip" sales to hotels are underscored in the 10-K for last year, and the one for 2006:

47%
of USAT's 1.8 million in net paid circulation last year came from single-copy sales at newsstands, vending machines or to hotel guests, and the remainder is from home and office delivery, mail, educational and other sales. 

62%
of its 2.3 million in circulation in 2006 came
 from such single-copy sales.

11 comments:

  1. Of course they blame it on the internet.....Sure couldn't be because of rising prices along with cuts in content. They lost a lot of sales then they aren't getting back.

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  2. 98% bulshit comes out of Hunke's office.

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  3. Sports dept should all agree to walk out en masse one day to protest the Beusse Plan. Let these digital experts figure out how to put out the section and the mechanics of the website. Oh, I forgot. None of them actually knows the system or how to get their hands dirty.

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  4. What a way to garble the numbers. What the heck? I want to know how many to hotels? How many paid by consumers.

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  5. Everyone who I know who has stopped reading newspapers says they have done so for two reasons:

    1. It's free online.

    But the second reason is the one lots of empty suits who like to layoff people as a way of boosting profits conveniently ignore. The layoffs and lack of retaining seasoned pros leads to:

    2. Decline in content, both in quality and quantity.

    Two self-inflicted wounds that will not only bury print, but will also steer people away from once-popular brands like USA TODAY, yes, even in digital form.

    The public is now sensing what we've all known for a few years. You can't put out a quality product on any platform without enough competent people in the newsroom. When USAT chose to do the things it has done with lackluster hiring and needless firing in the last three years, it essentially began writing its own obit.

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  6. It's simple folks, the paper is half the size at twice the cost.

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  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. It's hard to find a single newstand copy in a lot of major cities yet you can find dozens unreads on hotel floors. This product has peaked and will continue to decline in numbers and quality.

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  9. Let's have Hunke, Ellwood, Banikarim, Micek, Jones, Frank and the rest of the top heavy gang of USAT reapply for their jobs first!

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  10. Frank has switched job titles so many times she wouldn't know what job to reapply for. Then again, they invent titles for her and other Hunke disciples.

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  11. Isn't it time for another vice presidential appointment?

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