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The disappearing dead-tree audience

By Michelle Malkin  •  November 5, 2007 12:57 PM

There are some interesting results in the latest release of nationwide newspaper circulation figures. Overall circulation is down 2.6 percent. USAT reports:

USA TODAY, published by industry leader Gannett (GCI), kept its place as the largest daily newspaper in the country and also chalked up a 1% gain in circulation to 2,293,137 for the six months ending in September, according to preliminary figures filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulations, an industry group based in Schaumburg, Ill.

The Wall Street Journal remained No. 2 in average total paid daily circulation, with 2,011,882, down 1.53%. The Journal’s parent company, Dow Jones (DJ), is in the process of being acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. (NWS).The New York Times was No. 3 at 1,037,828, a decline of 4.5%.

Newspaper circulation has been eroding steadily over the past 20 years, as reading habits change and as people turn to other media such as cable TV for news. In recent years the declines have been accelerating, especially at large metro papers, where there tends to be greater competition from Internet usage.

Believe it or not, the Los Angeles Times inched up .5 percent; the NYPost was down 5 percent.

The NYTimes’s daily circulation plunged 4.51% and Sunday circulation plunged 7.59%.

It’s all Bush’s fault!

***

Brian Maloney has an excellent post taking on MSM outlets who have the chutzpah to be lecturing talk radio about content:

At a time when paid newspaper circulation has taken yet another major nosedive, why do our mainstream media friends feel the need to lecture talk radio regarding its content? Ours is a competing, yet thriving medium.

Perhaps the unsolicited advice should be flowing in the other direction.

***

Parting question: I’m curious about how many of you still subscribe to a dead-tree newspaper. It’s been years since I had one delivered to my home. How about you?

See what others have said

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Comments

Comment pages: « 1 [2]

  1. #101
    On November 5th, 2007 at 9:09 pm, Klaatu said:

    We get two newspapers. The local and the Sunday edition of the nearby big city paper.

    The local is really local. The news fills only the first 3 pages. Then its on to the comics and sudoku.

    We get the Sunday paper at the supermarket for 75 cents, about half price, so that we can save about $15 a week in coupons. I never read the content of that rag. Like others, I don’t even bother to watch the local news on tv:fire, shooting, fire, weather, cute animal story, sports. It never changes. Never anything that is in my local paper (unless we have a really big fire.)

  2. #102
    On November 5th, 2007 at 9:32 pm, TexasAC said:

    Although you likely didn’t hear about it, former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow received a Freedom of Speech Award on October 16th from The Media Institute.

    During his acceptance, Snow made some statements about liberal bias in the press, as well as the condition of the media industry, which fully explain why this event, as well as his address, went virtually unreported.

    This is a rather long read, but every sentence is a bell ringer!

    http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/192058

  3. #103
    On November 5th, 2007 at 9:59 pm, xplodeit said:

    I have not subscribed to a paper in fifteen years at least.

  4. #104
    On November 5th, 2007 at 10:59 pm, shimauma2 said:

    I don’t have any subscriptions, but I love getting calls from my local “*Red* Star Tribune” and even the NYT asking do I want a subscription. It’s the one time I get to tell them they are nuthin’ but socialist rags not worth picking up dog poo.

    I betcha they eventually get around to making the govt’ pay for them….

  5. #105
    On November 5th, 2007 at 11:17 pm, deepdiver said:

    I get the local newspaper at the office. The publisher/owners are conservative and I get it for local coverage. As a local business owner I find it a valuable resource to at least flip through nearly daily to know the local goings on. I would much rather flip through the daily paper than try to sit through any of the local newscasts.

  6. #106
    On November 5th, 2007 at 11:37 pm, DaveC said:

    If every Doctors and Dentists’ offices would cancel their subscription to Time and Newsweek then those magazines will be in BIG trouble..

  7. #107
    On November 6th, 2007 at 9:24 am, jrosenau said:

    I get our local paper (there’s only 1 choice, sadly) on Sundays only. It pays for itself in the coupon inserts! I skim the rest but don’t really use it get the majority of my news. Sometimes its the only way to know about certain local affairs.

  8. #108
    On November 6th, 2007 at 4:11 pm, ckrcsmith said:

    My wife demands that we subscribe to the local paper (not too liberal) for weekend delivery, so she can look at the ads. Otherwise I’d turn it off.

    I fired the Charlotte Observer years ago.

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